How can the Opposition refuse to legitimise curated election results without seeming to run away from the battleground? (Illustration: C R Sasikumar) 6 min read May 5, 2026 06:16 AM IST First published on: May 5, 2026 at 06:16 AM IST It is a moment of reckoning for the democratic Opposition. A moment to reflect. A moment to face some harsh truth. A moment to ask some hard questions. Let there be no doubt about it: The window of opportunity offered by the stunning outcome of the Lok Sabha elections two years ago, ever narrowing since then, is firmly shut now. The conquest of Bengal is a leap forward in the BJP’s quest for total power. It is also a leap backwards in whatever remains of electoral integrity in contemporary India. Unless the Opposition goes back to the drawing board to reimagine its politics, revise its strategy and to rewire its election machine, democratic competition is all but dead.…