Opinion | Uddhav Sena, Trinamool Crises: A Grim Reminder And Mockery Of Voter Choices

Updated: Jun 21, 2026 15:29 pm IST Published On Jun 21, 2026 13:53 pm IST Last Updated On Jun 21, 2026 15:29 pm IST

Published On Jun 21, 2026 13:53 pm IST

Last Updated On Jun 21, 2026 15:29 pm IST

The parallel defection dramas playing out in West Bengal and Maharashtra should worry us as voters. They not only serve as a grim reminder of the growing crisis in an electoral democracy but also make a mockery of our choices in the polling booth.

Defections are not new. But the rate at which political parties have been splitting and regrouping in recent years -- as MPs and MLAs scurry around like headless chickens looking for new sanctuaries -- turns the spotlight on the anti-defection law. There are too many loopholes in the law, having been mutilated to further the interests of a self-seeking political class.

Beyond the law, however, shenanigans of resort politics and horse trading that accompany every defection episode pose a deeper and more fundamental question: should defections be allowed at all? Can we, in all conscience, as a democracy that is supposed to reflect the will of the people, sanctify the movement of MPs or MLAs from one party to a rival party after showering it with abuse the other day?

Opinion: With Trinamool Exodus, Bengal's Political Culture Enters New Phase

Consider the sordid saga unfolding in West Bengal. Within days of the defeat of Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress, 20 of her 28 MPs elected to the Lok Sabha just two years ago under her name and on her party symbol........

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