oppn parties Finally, Things Start Moving For The I.N.D.I.A Alliance

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October 17, 2026

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  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
  • Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
oppn parties
Finally, Things Start Moving For The I.N.D.I.A Alliance

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2024-02-26 03:35:22

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

The Trinamool Congress had been the first I.N.D.I.A alliance affiliate to vehemently oppose any seat-sharing agreement with the Congress in Bengal (why it did so will be explained in a separate article soon). At that time, the AAP had followed TMC's lead and the same template to declare that it will not have any truck with the Congress in Punjab and Delhi.

Since then, AAP has become more flexible and although it has not yielded space in Punjab, after the legal victory in the Supreme Court in the Chandigarh mayoral elections case, the two parties have quickly agreed on seat-sharing deals in Delhi, Goa, Gujarat and Haryana. AAP has even agreed to leave three seats in Delhi for the Congress and will contest only four seats.

This is a major positive development for the beleaguered I.N.D.I.A bloc. After that, Akhilesh Yadav also sealed the seat-sharing deal in UP, leaving as many as 17 seats for the Congress with the SP contesting in the remaining 63. This will come as a shot in the arm for the Congress and will also bring the sputtering opposition alliance back on track.

While on the face of it this will look like a climb-down by the AAP but it is a calculated move by the party to both protect its regional fiefs and expand its national footprint. AAP's priorities are different than the TMC's which has not really succeeded in making a mark outside Bengal and hence does not have to negotiate seat-sharing deals in other states. AAP has invested heavily (and has also got results) in Gujarat and Haryana and it spots an opportunity in getting its first wins in these states if its nominee is the joint opposition candidate.

In Delhi, AAP has succeeded in assembly and local elections but has never won a single Lok Sabha seat. Hence, it makes sense to consolidate opposition votes and give a tough fight to the BJP as the Congress also has loyal following in Delhi. Overall, it is a calculated move on AAP's part that is likely to benefit both the party and the opposition alliance. 

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