It is a moment of reckoning for the democratic Opposition. A moment to reflect. A moment to face some harsh truth. A moment to ask some hard questions.

Let there be no doubt about it: The window of opportunity offered by the stunning outcome of the Lok Sabha elections two years ago, ever narrowing since then, is firmly shut now. The conquest of Bengal is a leap forward in the BJP’s quest for total power. It is also a leap backwards in whatever remains of electoral integrity in contemporary India. Unless the Opposition goes back to the drawing board to reimagine its politics, revise its strategy and to rewire its election machine, democratic competition is all but dead. Unless someone or something steps in to rebalance the electoral playing field and restore a semblance of fairness, elections may no longer be the arena for articulation of popular will. And that is bad news, not just for the Opposition but also for the rulers.

Let the outcomes in Kerala and Tamil Nadu not distract us from this stark truth. All that has happened in Kerala is a resumption of a deferred oscillation in power. The routine desire for change and an accumulated unease with the LDF government finally caught up with it. The UDF was the natural beneficiary, with some arrears for the delayed transition added to its victory margin. The Opposition may take solace that the BJP has not expanded its vote share, but such consolation tends to be temporary in the face of the ruling juggernaut. If anything, the UDF’s over-dependence on minority votes in the state should worry it in the long run.

Dramatic and awe-inspiring as the........

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