Congress Courts Smaller UP Allies as Akhilesh Yadav Seeks Distance Ahead of Polls

A major political controversy has erupted following remarks by Mallikarjun Kharge claiming elections were rigged and calling polls illegal. Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju hit back at the Congress chief, questioning whether Rahul Gandhi and various state chief ministers were also illegal and demanding an end to insulting the Constitution. The Bharatiya Janata Party heavily criticised the Congress leadership, alleging that consecutive electoral losses have affected the party's balance and led to attacks on democratic institutions, including the Election Commission.

Questions have been raised regarding India's current foreign policy and approach towards neighbouring nations, particularly Pakistan and China. Critical remarks highlighted that while India maintains the stance that this is not an era of war, engagements with Pakistan contradict this position due to the absence of dialogue and diplomacy. Concerns were also raised over India's participation in the Quad alliance, noting that joining it has annoyed China while its relevance continues to be questioned by the United States. The policy approach was described as reactive, transactional, and lacking strategic autonomy, sparking expectations of sharp political reactions.

A political dispute has surfaced within the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections over seat-sharing arrangements. Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam asserted that Congress must receive equal respect and an equal share, stating, "Idea of India Congress ka aur jitna bhi aap modern India dekh rahe hain wo Congress ki den hai." While Congress is pushing for 200 assembly seats, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has maintained that seat distribution should follow a winnability formula focused solely on defeating the BJP.

A major political confrontation has erupted between opposition parties and the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. In Mumbai, Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray held a joint demonstration seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, while the Aam Aadmi Party and left parties staged protests at India Gate in Delhi. The INDIA bloc announced plans to march to the Election Commission office demanding the immediate repeal of the SIR process. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi raised allegations in Hyderabad over fraudulent Form 7 submissions, and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called recent elections illegal, demanding a switch to paper ballots. In an India Today debate, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari defended the poll body, arguing that the Supreme Court has backed the SIR process and accusing the opposition of questioning constitutional bodies only when they lose. Congress spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa and Shiv Sena Shinde faction spokesperson Susi Ben Shah presented conflicting perspectives on voter deletions and electoral integrity.