Number theory: The new tripartite alignment in Indian politics

A look at why the current anti-BJP alliance may be different from similar experiments in the past.

India’s political landscape is undergoing a realignment in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. On one side is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its former (it is trying to woo them back), current, and potential allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). On the other, are the 15 opposition parties which took part in a meeting held in Patna on June 23 and will meet in Bengaluru once again. And between the two is a group of parties that are fence-sitting vis-à-vis the two major groups. In a two-part data series, HT captures this re-alignment and then reviews why the current anti-BJP alliance may be different from similar experiments in the past. This first part looks at the relative strength of the three groups described above.

In a two-part data series, HT captures India’s political re-alignment.

The charts that matter

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This is the first of a two-part data journalism series looking at the tripartite realignment taking place in Indian politics. The second part will explain how the current Congress-led group against the BJP is different from similar groups in the past.