In the Lok Sabha elections this year, Indian democracy had glimpsed a sliver of hope — a window cracked open not by political parties but by the people themselves. Much like the historic verdict of 1977 post-Emergency, the electorate in 2024 pushed open a window in the wall that had been erected against constitutional democracy. This was a chance for Opposition parties to transform that window into a door and rally to safeguard the nation.
Tragically, Indian political parties typically buckle under the weight of such onerous responsibility. Just six months later, with three state assembly elections behind us, that window of hope has narrowed to a skylight. The burden now shifts back to the citizens and civil society to intensify their fight to preserve the spirit of the Indian Constitution.
To turn this glimmer of hope into a real opportunity, it was imperative to follow up the BJP’s setback in the Lok Sabha elections with a string of defeats in the subsequent assembly elections. The task was challenging but not impossible. In Maharashtra, the INDIA coalition (MVA or Maha Vikas Aghadi) had won 30 of 48 Lok Sabha seats and seemed well-positioned for an assembly victory. In Haryana, where the Lok Sabha results were split 5–5, the Congress looked a clear favourite in the assembly polls.
Jharkhand presented a tougher challenge: the BJP and its........