‘Fight to Finish’ Pumps New Energy, But Opposition Remains Divided

The meeting to finalise the strategy for “Fight to Finish” began at Constitution Club in New Delhi. The flagging of certain alleged irregularities regarding Form 6 rules, reportedly by two of the three Election Commissioners, as reported by The Indian Express, has given a new lease of life and energy to the opposition parties to take on the government.

Meanwhile, posters attacking the opposition parties' dual stand on SIR had appeared in Delhi.

The opposition has been losing election after election. Despite making ‘Vote Chori’ a political narrative, it has not been successful in its attempt to defeat the BJP, except in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka. It came to power in Telangana, not because of ‘Vote Chori’, but because of anti-incumbency against the BRS government led by K Chandrasekhar Rao. In Kerala, it came to power again due to anti-incumbency against the LDF government.

The recent exposure of the alleged differences between the three Election Commissioners has provided fresh ammunition to the opposition parties. But even though all of them want the CEC, Gyanesh Kumar, to resign due to political differences, the INDIA bloc, which had 24 members, continues to remain a fragmented body.

The DMK, which had severed its connections with the Congress, refused to attend the INDIA bloc meeting, though it is a member, because it feels the meeting at the Constitution Club is more of a Congress show. The AAP, which had emerged from the INDIA bloc, also decided not to attend the meeting. The Samajwadi Party chief, Akhilesh Yadav, decided to miss the photo-ops, which are very important in politics, and instead sent his party leader to represent him.

The reason given by Akhilesh was that since the nomination process for the Rajya Sabha members’ election is to take place today, he cannot move out of Uttar Pradesh. It is still not clear whether the SP and Congress will have a fair share of seats in the UP Assembly elections or not, though, as of today, they are alliance partners. The Uddhav Thackeray group decided not to join the meeting digitally later in the day. They said they cannot afford to waste two days by going to Delhi.

The meeting would discuss the modalities for a joint agitation to be launched from October 2. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, who is seething with anger against the BJP government for not only defeating her party in the recent Assembly elections but also decimating it by “encouraging wholesale defections” into the saffron party, said minutes before the meeting began today that the Chief Election Commissioner must resign and that the TMC would extend full support to the action plan that would emerge from the meeting.

It will also support the proposed impeachment motion when moved in Parliament. She further said that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah must also resign.

The DMK, however, said in Chennai that it would support the opposition parties in Parliament when the impeachment motion is moved. Party leaders said the stand of the DMK is that the CEC must quit.

On the other hand, Premachandran, RSP leader, felt that this was the time when all opposition parties should keep their differences aside and unite. He felt that the parties which decided to keep away should have attended the meeting. Division in the opposition ranks at this stage would only benefit the BJP.

The BJP said that the Congress and other opposition parties were unhappy that people were not supporting them and so they had resorted to attacking the CEC.

Whatever it may be, the fact is that the CEC has so far refused to address a joint press conference with all three Election Commissioners and clarify the issues being raised by the opposition parties. This has given rise to all kinds of doubts in the minds of the people and provided ammunition to the opposition to attack the Constitutional body and the government.

The government is gearing up for nationwide protests, which could create greater clashes between the opposition and the ruling party and may even become a threat to internal security if the law and order situation goes out of control, as we had seen during the Jantar Mantar protest against the NEET paper leakage.

The government should not underestimate the opposition or the ramifications of such protests, which may affect peace across the country.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gowri V

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A Journey of Three Decades Time passes faster than we realise. What feels like a journey that began only yesterday has today grown into more than three decades of a meaningful and fulfilling life devoted to education, journalism, and the empowerment of young minds. My professional journey began with journalism training in New Delhi in 1979. I went on to work as an independent journalist, drawing on my fluency in both English and Telugu. Over the years, I have edited and worked on Telugu articles in both languages, an experience that strengthened my command of language and sharpened my understanding of society, people, and contemporary issues. Yet, my principal profession and enduring passion have always been teaching. My decision to become a teacher was not merely a career choice—it was a calling. Teaching offered me the rare privilege of inspiring young minds, guiding them through their formative years, and making a lasting difference in their lives. I found immense satisfaction in simplifying complex concepts, nurturing curiosity, encouraging independent thought, and building confidence among students. Every moment in the classroom—every question, every moment of discovery, and every spark of understanding—reminded me why I had chosen this path: to empower young people through knowledge, values, and essential life skills. My teaching career began at the grassroots level as a Montessori teacher and gradually progressed to the position of Vice Principal. I had the opportunity to work in reputed educational institutions, including Dilsukhnagar Public School in Hyderabad, where I shouldered both teaching and administrative responsibilities. Although I have always considered myself, at heart, a teacher, my administrative experience enabled me to understand and contribute to the education system from a much broader perspective. For my students, I have always tried to be an approachable and dependable presence—someone they could turn to not only for academic support, but also for guidance and emotional encouragement. At the same time, I developed a reputation as a firm disciplinarian who believed that integrity, fairness, responsibility, and discipline were fundamental to education. I was also consistently appreciated for maintaining clear communication with parents and staff and for ensuring that examinations and other academic processes were conducted with transparency, fairness, and efficiency. As my career progressed, however, I began to feel that academic education alone was not enough. This realization led me to work more closely with students following the SSC and CBSE curricula, while consciously bringing life-skills education into my teaching. I came to understand that education becomes truly meaningful when it prepares children not merely to pass examinations, but to face life. Teaching emotional resilience, self-reliance, social awareness, communication, decision-making, and other practical life skills often had a deeper and more lasting impact than academic achievement alone. I saw how these skills could help students navigate challenges with greater confidence, maturity, and responsibility. My academic background provided a strong foundation for this approach. My degree in Psychology from the University of Madras helped me develop a deeper understanding of young people's minds, their emotional needs, and the influence of their family and social environments. My M.A. in Telugu with First Class from Osmania University.

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