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

Story Of The Day

Bengal: Let the Left Book Stalls Be

October 21, 2026

People Are Talking About

People Are Talking About Junk Food Near Schools

News Snippets

  • Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav join calls for release of CJP leaders. The two opposition leaders joined demands for the release of Cockroach Janta Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who are challenging their continued custody
  • Delhi High Court rejects disclosure of PMs’ flight records. The court set aside a Central Information Commission direction requiring the Indian Air Force to disclose flight details for overseas trips by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, citing national security and personal safety
  • The Punjab and Haryana High Court held that when the government directs a platform to block a page or remove content, the affected user must also receive a copy of the intimation sent to the platform.
  • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Mumbai on Tuesday, with both sides seeking to move closer to a trade agreement that has been delayed by tariff disputes and differences over Russian oil purchases. They also discussed energy, technology and defence, and held a trilateral meeting with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on regional energy security
  • Violence escalated in Manipur after a Kuki-Zo man, Paolen Khongsai, was shot dead in Kangpokpi district on Tuesday, following the killing of three Meitei men the previous day. A 48-hour shutdown disrupted normal life, while an INDIA bloc delegation led by former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh urged Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh to convene an all-party meeting to address the deteriorating security situation
  • The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board introduced civil penalties of up to ₹1 crore for each regulatory violation by oil and gas operators, with an additional ₹10 lakh for every day a violation continues. The revised framework also changes annual fees and introduces charges for certain pipeline-related extensions, guarantees and connectivity arrangements
  • The Reserve Bank of India moved to ease tightening festive-season liquidity conditions through a ₹1 lakh crore variable-rate repo operation, its first major liquidity infusion in three months. The move followed the weighted average overnight call rate rising to 5.67%, above the 5.50% repo rate, while a further ₹50,000 crore operation was scheduled for Wednesday.
  • India’s medal tally at the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya reached 35 by Tuesday evening, with nine gold, 11 silver and 15 bronze medals. Nishad Kumar won his second gold of the Games in the men’s T47 high jump after earlier winning the long jump, becoming the third Indian to secure two gold medals at a single edition
  • ndian athletes swept all three medals in the men’s combined discus throw event at the Asian Para Games on Tuesday. Devender Kumar won gold with 781 Raza points, ahead of compatriots Rakesh with silver on 771 points and Pardeep Kumar with bronze on 669 points
  • India collected two Games-record gold medals in para-athletics on Tuesday, with Deepthi Jeevanji winning the women’s 400m T20 in 56.36 seconds and Simran taking the women’s 200m T12 title in 24.80 seconds. India also added medals in swimming, shooting, powerlifting and para table tennis during the day’s competition
  • Sarfaraz Khan scored an unbeaten 139 for Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy, his 18th first-class century, putting Mumbai in a strong position. The innings came after he had scored just one run in Mumbai’s opening match against Chandigarh
  • Tamil Nadu defeated Uttarakhand by an innings and 66 runs in the Ranji Trophy after left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore took 10 wickets in the match, including a hat-trick in the second innings. Uttarakhand were dismissed for 113 in their second innings, losing their final five wickets for just 10 runs
  • India–New Zealand free trade agreement takes effect on Vijayadashami, giving 100% of Indian exports duty-free access to New Zealand, according to the government’s announcement
  • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is due in Mumbai today for talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, with trade, energy security, technology and defence cooperation among the key issues. He is also expected to pay tribute to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks
  • Three people were killed and three injured when suspected militants ambushed a group collecting firewood near the border of Manipur's Imphal East and Kangpokpi districts. The killings triggered protests in Imphal, where demonstrators placed two victims' bodies outside Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh's residence; markets and shops shut amid renewed security concerns
Major data leak reported at SBI, customer data reportedly available on the dark web /////// Calcutta HC denies permisiion for a sitting High Court judge to head Chor Bagan Durga Pujo stampede probe
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. 

Other Stories You Make Like

Editorials

Lawrence Bishnoi: Locked Up, Not Locked Down

Lawrence Bishnoi: Locked Up, Not Locked Down

 Eighteen lives lost at Chor Bagan. Kolkata must mourn first and learn second.

Eighteen lives lost at Chor Bagan. Kolkata must mourn first and learn second.

In Depth

Grounds Of Arrest: The Supreme Court's Rule Must Be Followed By The Police On The Ground

Grounds Of Arrest: The Supreme Court's Rule Must Be Followed By The Police On The Ground

Editor's Pick

For the Goonj to Reverberate, Rahul Gandhi Must Take Regional Parties Along

For the Goonj to Reverberate, Rahul Gandhi Must Take Regional Parties Along
© 2014 India Commentary. All rights reserved.