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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to defend both their leadership and withdrawn.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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