India’s regional political forces face decline amid rise of BJP-Congress dominance
India’s regional political parties, including Trinamool Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazagham, have suffered electoral defeats, forcing them to reconsider strategies as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress consolidate power across states. The collapse of alliances within the opposition bloc INDIA, such as Congress’s split with DMK over Tamil Nadu’s government formation, has further weakened regional parties’ influence at the national level.
India’s regional political parties are facing a steep decline as the BJP and Congress expand their influence across the country. The recent electoral defeats of major regional outfits like the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) have forced them to reassess their political strategies. While the opposition bloc INDIA, formed in 2023 to challenge the BJP in the 2024 elections, failed to prevent the BJP’s return to power, it succeeded in denying the party a majority of its own. Congress, the only pan-India party in INDIA, now governs in Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and is set to form a government in Kerala. However, internal divisions have weakened the bloc: Congress extended support to C Joseph Vijay’s TVK in Tamil Nadu after withdrawing from the DMK-led alliance, leading to accusations of betrayal from DMK. The DMK responded by refusing to sit with Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha. The decline of regional parties like Samajwadi Party (SP), BSP, BJD, and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) has left a power vacuum largely filled by the BJP, which now holds sway in 21 states. Only a few states, including Andhra Pradesh (with TDP as a BJP ally), Sikkim, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya, still see regional parties in power. South India remains resistant to BJP dominance, except for a brief period in Karnataka. Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, claimed only Congress can defeat BJP and Narendra Modi, framing the political battle as an ideological clash between the RSS and Congress. This contrasts with past statements by Mamata Banerjee, who argued Congress cannot effectively counter the BJP. Meanwhile, leaders like Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi Party and Lalu Yadav of RJD appear divided on the future of the INDIA alliance. The setbacks for TMC and DMK have intensified debates over the future of regional parties and their role in the INDIA alliance. With Congress and DMK now estranged, the opposition’s ability to present a unified front against the BJP remains uncertain.
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