The INDIA bloc’s first meeting on June 8 predictably ended with a familiar message of Opposition unity. Of the 28 parties that had come together to challenge the BJP three years ago, only 23 attended the gathering in Delhi last week. The bloc insisted that some allies which chose to stay away had not formally abandoned the alliance. Projected as a broad national platform, rather than a conventional coalition, it was the first serious attempt to bring together opposition parties that often disagreed with one another but shared one goal: to challenge the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Now, the alliance leaders have once again stressed presenting a united front against the BJP in the 2029 general election. Claiming that India’s political diversity is their strength, the question arises whether the INDIA bloc is really united, considering the biggest rupture to its unity has come from the DMK, considered the bloc’s strongest southern pillar. It is early days to assess the impact of the DMK’s decision to leave the alliance—triggered by the Congress party’s decision to end its alliance with the Dravidian party last month—on Opposition unity.

There are rumours that the BJP is trying to woo the Dravidian party into the NDA camp to shore up the alliance’s numbers in both houses of parliament, as the saffron party’s eyes are set on passing the Delimitation Bill, which it has linked to women’s reservation. There is also speculation whether the DMK will float the idea of a third front. It is certainly going to be a difficult call for the DMK, despite being miffed........

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