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Page 8 - The Indian EYE 062626
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    EYE ON INDIA                                                             JUNE 26, 2026     |  The Indian Eye                    8

                                 Opposition Under

                  Pressure as BJP Targets

                            Rivals Across States

               From West Bengal to Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, opposition parties are battling allegations of

                                 defections, political isolation and challenges to their grassroots support.

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            proceedings had begun.
                                                                                                                      “The process for taking action
            New Delhi / Kolkata
                                                                                                                  has started,” he said. “We will make
               ndia’s opposition parties are                                                                      every effort to get them disqualified.
               confronting mounting political                                                                     If the Speaker of the Lok Sabha
            Ipressure on multiple fronts, with                                                                    works according to the rules, the law,
            recent developments in West Ben-                                                                      and the Supreme Court’s directives,
            gal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh                                                                    these people will be disqualified.”
            highlighting the challenges they face                                                                     The  episode  reflects  the  con-
            in retaining their organisational                                                                     tinuing fallout from the 2022 split in
            strength,  preventing  defections  and                                                                the Shiv Sena, when Eknath Shinde
            countering the Bharatiya Janata Par-                                                                  broke away with a large group of leg-
            ty’s (BJP) political offensive.                                                                       islators, fundamentally altering Ma-
                Over the past week, three major                                                                   harashtra’s political landscape. Any
            opposition formations -- the Trina-                                                                   fresh defections would further weak-
            mool Congress (TMC), Shiv Sena                                                                        en the opposition’s parliamentary
            (UBT) and Samajwadi Party (SP) --                                                                     presence and reinforce perceptions
            have found themselves responding to                                                                   of political instability within its ranks.
            different but interconnected political                                                                    In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi
            challenges. While each case is rooted   TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, with party MP Dola Sen and other leaders, joins a protest march   Party has also been forced onto the
            in  state-specific  dynamics,  together     by hawkers in Dharmatala, in Kolkata on Wednesday s(ANI Photo)  defensive following  claims by BJP
            they point to an increasingly aggres-                                                                 leaders that several opposition legis-
            sive  political  environment  in  which                                                               lators are preparing to switch sides.
            opposition parties are being forced  nerjee’s Kolkata residence had been  office. Right now, she is making a last-  Deputy Chief Minister Keshav
            to defend both their leadership and  withdrawn.                     ditch effort to remain in the media   Prasad Maurya and BJP ally Sanjay
            their legislative strength.           “This is how @MamataOfficial,  by joining the hawkers,” Ghosh said.  Nishad  both  suggested  that  oppo-
                In West Bengal, Trinamool Con-  a 3 term CM and 7 term MP is being   In Maharashtra, meanwhile, the   sition MPs were in contact with the
            gress chief and former Chief Min-  humiliated and put at risk by shame-  focus has shifted from street politics   ruling alliance. Nishad estimated that
            ister Mamata Banerjee has sought  less vengeful BJP govt. While Mohan  to legislative arithmetic. Speculation   “no less than two dozen” lawmakers
            to project herself as the defender of  Bhagwat enjoys XYZ +++ security  surrounding “Operation Tiger” has   were considering crossing over.
            ordinary citizens by leading a protest  with 100s of commando cars at our  fuelled  rumours  that  several  Mem-  The Samajwadi Party dismissed
            against the alleged eviction of hawk-  expense,” Moitra posted on X.  bers of Parliament belonging to Shiv   the claims, insisting that recent party
            ers in Kolkata. The march in Dhar-    For the Trinamool Congress, the  Sena (UBT) are in touch with Chief   meetings focused solely on prepa-
            matala was attended by party leaders  twin issues of public mobilisation and  Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena   rations for programmes marking
            and hundreds of demonstrators, with  allegations of political targeting have  faction.                socialist leader Janeshwar Mishra’s
            the TMC accusing authorities of car-  become part of a broader effort to   Although both factions have de-  birth anniversary.
            rying out “illegal, unjust and deeply  portray the party as resisting pressure  nied reports that six Uddhav Thac-  SP MP Sanatan Pandey accused
            inhumane” evictions.              from the Centre ahead of next year’s  keray-led MPs were set to join the   the BJP of attempting to weaken rival
                The party declared that “the  Assembly election.                ruling Shiv Sena during the party’s   parties through political engineering.
            dignity and livelihood of the people   The BJP, however, dismissed Ba-  foundation day celebrations, the con-  “The BJP government is a party
            of Bengal will be defended with un-  nerjee’s protest politics as an attempt  troversy has exposed concerns within   of cruel people. They have nothing
            wavering resolve” and described the  to remain politically relevant. West  the opposition camp.       to do with farmers, youth, the poor,
            BJP  as  “ruthless,”  alleging  that  the  Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh argued   Only three of the Shiv Sena   democracy, or the constitution. They
            party was driven solely by the pursuit  that the former Chief Minister her-  (UBT)’s nine Lok Sabha MPs at-  only want to remain in power by
            of power.                         self was responsible for the present  tended a parliamentary meeting in   splitting parties,” Pandey alleged.
                The protest came against the  situation involving hawkers.      New Delhi, prompting the party lead-  He also rejected suggestions of
            backdrop of another controversy af-   “The condition of Mamata Ba-  ership to issue show-cause notices to   internal dissent, maintaining that
            ter TMC MP Mahua Moitra alleged  nerjee is such that she neither has a  six absentees. Rajya Sabha MP San-  there had been “no discussion” about
            that security personnel posted at Ba-  party, nor her workers, nor her party  jay Raut announced that disciplinary   defections during party meetings.

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