India, March 17 -- The Opposition's shocking losses in the Rajya Sabha polls in Odisha and Bihar, and its narrow victory in Haryana - if losing nine votes and winning by just one, after suffering both crossvoting and disqualification of votes, can be called a victory - hold some insights.

One, the Opposition's slide in national politics is not just ideological or electoral, but also organisational. Since its relatively stellar performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Opposition has stumbled again and again - prominently in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Bihar - but refuses to learn lessons in setting its own house in order. The Congress was so confident of winning Haryana that it didn't bother resolving a battle between its senior leaders...