Politics is ruthless and unforgiving and, therefore, also has an elephantine memory. The suddenly-diminished former chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, is now invoking solidarity with the INDIA bloc — the on-again, off-again alliance of a few Opposition parties who came together before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But many of her peers might want to remind her that it was she who blocked the ascent of Nitish Kumar as convenor of the group.

Since then, Kumar has crossed sides, Banerjee has been confronted with a dramatic defeat and the 22-year-old alliance between the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has collapsed.

There is, in effect, no INDIA alliance.

And even if it existed in some manner on paper for the limited purposes of parliamentary floor co-ordination, the Congress’s decision to walk away from MK Stalin may trigger more divorces among the multiple, short-lived marriages of convenience.

Take a look at what is unfolding in Tamil Nadu more closely to see the inherent obstacle in the Opposition’s ability to respond as a united electoral front.

First, before the polls, the Congress declined the offer from rockstar debutant Vijay — whose newbie party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) stormed the assembly elections in the state, winning 108 seats — despite voluble voices from within that pushed for a shift in strategy.

But, as soon as the election results........

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