One of the consequences of the Congress’s poor performance in the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana has been obvious: it has given its principal rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party, a much needed boost given the unexpected reversals it suffered in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year. But another fallout of the Congress’s recent humbling at the hustings deserves scrutiny. This concerns the emergence of a strain in the Congress’s ties with its allies in the Opposition INDIA bloc. Consider Lalu Prasad’s statement that the chief minister of Bengal and an important figure within the Opposition, Mamata Banerjee, should take over the reins of INDIA. Mr Prasad’s remark came on the heels of another of the Congress’s allies, the Samajwadi Party, making noises against Rahul Gandhi. Ms Banerjee had set the ball rolling and has now expressed her gratitude for the comments in support of her potential leadership. That there is perpetual heartburn among some of INDIA’s constituents over the Congress’s dominant position within the alliance is not quite a secret. The shift of electoral momentum away from the party in the last two state elections has made the Congress even more vulnerable to such rapier thrusts. Of late, the lack of coordination between the Congress and some of its INDIA allies has also been laid bare: the Congress’s enthusiasm for cornering the prime minister over his alleged association with Gautam Adani was, for instance, not shared by the Trinamool Congress that was eager for Parliament to function without interruption.

These differences may not be big enough for the Opposition coalition to implode. But optics is central to modern-day politics. Consequently, the subterranean feuding within INDIA could bolster the public perception of the Opposition being a disunited, rag-tag force, something that the BJP seldom tires of reminding the electorate. The Opposition needs to get its act together. It must speak in one voice: it seems to be trying to do this by coming together to demand the removal of the Rajya Sabha chairman. There is also a need for INDIA to unitedly focus on subjects that are likely to resonate with the electorate. The locking of horns by members of the Opposition on the matter of taking up the mantle of leadership of the INDIA coalition is unlikely to be of interest to the voter. There are far more serious public issues that demand the Opposition’s energy and voice.