India, May 11 -- The most important lesson for opposition parties from the recently concluded Assembly elections is clear: if they fail to stand united, not only will they lose politically, but democracy itself may gradually vanish from India's political landscape.

After consolidating its dominance in North, West, and Central India, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has expanded its influence eastward, capturing power in Bihar, Odisha, and, most recently, West Bengal, where it won 206 out of 294 seats. When the BJP came to power at the Centre under Narendra Modi in 2014, it (and its allies) governed only seven states. In May 2026, that number has risen to 22, with 14 ruled by the BJP and 8 by its allies. According to a report in The Time...