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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW DELHI: The end of the Budget session of Parliament<\/a> this year marked a rare high for the opposition. The Congress-led INDIA bloc united with other opposition parties to prevent the Centre from passing a Constitution Amendment Bill. The Bill linked implementation of women’s reservation to delimitation. This was on April 17. Nearly three months down the line, as parties gear up for the Monsoon session from July 20, the euphoria of this triumph has been replaced by concern among the opposition ranks.The Bill that they had managed to stop in its tracks during the Budget session could make its way back in the Monsoon session and garner greater support in Parliament. In April, 298 members supported the Bill in Lok Sabha while 230 opposed it. MPs supporting the Bill were way more than those opposing it but were short of the two-thirds majority of 352 (out of 528) needed for the passage of the Constitution Amendment Bill.So, what has changed in three months? Well, a lot. Parties have split. Opposition numbers in Parliament have come down. Long-time allies have turned into foes. The opposition camp is in disarray and the regional parties under its fold are now a weakened force.And, that is why the upcoming Monsoon session may be interesting to watch. The BJP, still smarting from the rare failure on the Constitution Amendment Bill, is reportedly working behind the scenes to ensure a two-thirds majority to push through its important pending legislations, including the delimitation bill.The Congress has accused Union home minister Amit Shah of trying to “engineer” a two-third majority for the BJP in Lok Sabha and alleges he is busy breaking opposition parties while making a “complete mockery of democracy” but his “evil designs” will not succeed.“Never before has anybody tried to engineer a two-third majority for his party in the Lok Sabha as the Union Home Minister is desperately doing these days in the run-up to the Monsoon Session of Parliament<\/a>. The self-styled Chanakya had been humiliated on April 17 2026 when the NDA could not get the requisite two-third majority. Stung by that resounding defeat, Shah is now busy breaking opposition parties and making a complete “mockery of democracy”, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X..The three months between the two sessions saw four important political developments that have together put the NDA in command and the opposition on the backfoot.<\/p>\n On April 24, exactly seven days after NDA\u2019s Lok Sabha setback, the opposition suffered the first blow as 7 MPs of Arvind Kejriwal\u2019s AAP broke ranks with the party in Rajya Sabha and aligned with the BJP. Since, the breakaway group\u2019s strength was more than two-thirds of the total 10 MPs the party had in the Upper House, the defection did not come under the purview of the anti-defection law. The rebellion, which came as a surprise to Arvind Kejriwal, reduced AAP\u2019s strength in Rajya Sabha to 3.<\/p>\n The second blow to opposition came from West Bengal, where BJP ended Mamata Banerjee\u2019s 15-year-rule and successfully snatched a key state from the hands of the opposition. While the defeat stunned Mamata, what hurt her and the opposition camp more was the implosion which threatened the very existence of the Trinamool Congress. 20 MPs of the Trinamool Congress raised a banner of revolt against Mamata and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee and announced to align with the BJP in Lok Sabha. This list of 20 included several of Mamata\u2019s loyalists and was enough to avoid any action under the anti-defection law. To make matters worse, several Rajya Sabha members of Trinamool also joined this rebellion. However, since their numbers were less, they resigned from the party and their membership from the Upper House.<\/p>\nFirst blow: Raghav\u2019s rebellion stings AAP<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Second blow: Mamata\u2019s defeat and Trinamool implosion<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Third blow: Shiv Sena split<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n