The Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress, both INDIA bloc members, fighting each other contributed to the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory in the Delhi assembly polls, the Shiv Sena-UBT claimed on Monday.
An editorial in the Sena-UBT mouthpiece Saamana also raised questions over the need for opposition alliances if their constituents continue to fight against each other instead of the BJP.
The BJP swept aside the AAP, winning 48 of the 70 seats in the just-concluded Delhi assembly polls.
The AAP secured only 22 seats, with top leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia suffering defeats. The Congress drew a blank in the national capital for the third time in a row.
"In Delhi, both AAP and Congress fought to destroy each other, making things easier for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. If this continues, why even form alliances? Just fight to your heart's content!" the editorial in Saamana quipped.
A similar disunity among opposition parties already led to setbacks in Maharashtra (during the 2024 assembly polls which the BJP-led coalition won)), it said.
The Marathi daily claimed that failing to learn from the Delhi poll results would only strengthen, what it termed as, the "autocratic rule" under Modi and Shah.
Notably, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday took a jibe as both the Congress and AAP were defeated after contesting against each other.
"Aur lado aapas mein!!! (Keep on fighting each other)," the National Conference leader had said on X.
Referring to Abdullah's comments, Saamana claimed that Congress actively contributed to AAP's defeat in at least 14 seats in Delhi, which could have been avoided.
A similar situation had played out in Haryana (during the assembly polls last year which BJP won), the editorial claimed, and asked whether internal elements within Congress were deliberately undermining Rahul Gandhi's leadership.
It also criticised Anna Hazare for his comments against Kejriwal, pointing out that the veteran social activist's own anti-corruption movement had once paved the way for Kejriwal's rise in politics.
Last month, Hazare urged the electors of Delhi to vote for those with clean character and thoughts and ones who can sacrifice for the country and digest insult.
"Hazare remained silent on alleged corruption under the Modi government, including controversies surrounding the Rafale deal and the Hindenburg report on the Adani Group. Modi's so called Amritkal is based only on deceit and corruption. He has gathered all dubious people together and is running the show in Maharashtra as well as in the country," the editorial alleged.
"The loss in Delhi elections is directly affecting the democratic processes in the country. Even in Maharashtra, local Congress leaders had stretched seat-sharing talks (for the assembly polls) till the end and it resulted in portraying a chaotic picture," it said.
The disunity among opposition parties in Delhi and Maharashtra directly aided the BJP, the Marathi publication said.
"If this is how things are going to be, there is no need to form alliances at all. Just keep fighting among yourselves!" it said.
"If no one is going to learn a lesson from the Delhi assembly elections, then such people can earn the credit of helping autocracy to gain power. There will be no need to even take a dip in the Ganga river for doing such noble work," the Sena-UBT mouthpiece said sarcastically.
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