I.N.D.I.A Front Faces Challenges After Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar Exit

The opposition 'I.N.D.I.A' front seems to be in disarray. First, Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced to go solo, and then Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) joined hands with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). With two major parties out of the 28-party 'India' front, the remaining 26 constituents face an uphill task.

Mamata's solo bid: Who benefits?

• In the last Lok Sabha elections, TMC won 22 out of 42 seats in Bengal, Congress won 2, and BJP won 18.
• If TMC, Congress, and the Left had come together this time, BJP would have suffered.
• However, with TMC's decision to fight alone, BJP is likely to benefit.
• In the last elections, BJP was the runner-up in 22 seats. They may now benefit from the split in votes between TMC and Congress.

Seat-sharing puzzle in other states

• Besides Bengal and Bihar, the 'India' front faces a seat-sharing dilemma in other states.

In Punjab, it needs to sort out the issue with AAP, in Uttar Pradesh with Samajwadi Party, in Jharkhand with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, and in Maharashtra with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena.

Impact of Nitish Kumar joining NDA

• Nitish Kumar's JD(U) joining the NDA can hurt 'India' not only in Bihar but also across the country.
• In the last elections, JD(U) fielded candidates in 7 states. It won only in Bihar, but it got a good number of votes in Lakshadweep, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab.
• Notably, in Bihar, UP, and Punjab, JD(U) had damaged the BJP candidates' prospects, but now they will benefit.