Fatal Arithmetic |
The Opposition’s problem is no longer merely ideological confusion or organisational weakness. It is increasingly a failure of political maturity. Nowhere was that more visible than in West Bengal. For years, leaders of the INDIA bloc have argued that Indian democracy faces an unprecedented centralisation of power, weakening of institutions and growing pressure on federalism. Yet when confronted with the practical electoral necessity of unity, many of these parties reverted to old rivalries, regional egos and personal calculations. The consequences are now visible.
In Bengal, the combined vote share of the Trinamool Congress, the Left Front and the Congress exceeded that of the BJP. Under a disciplined alliance structure, such arithmetic should at least have produced a fiercely competitive election. Instead, the anti-BJP vote fragmented once again, allowing the BJP to emerge as the principal beneficiary. The irony is difficult to miss. Leaders who now warn that the ruling party poses an existential challenge to the constitutional order spent years treating one another as greater enemies than their common adversary. Mamata........