Citing U.S. midterm poll results, Opposition leaders say change is in the air

Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal. File

Opposition leaders on Wednesday (November 4, 2026) cited the results of the U.S. midterm elections to stress that people’s collective strength can defeat “authoritarian tendencies”.

While Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal said that “change is in the air”, party communications chief Jairam Ramesh underscored the importance of midterm polls in enforcing accountability of executive action.

“The midterm results in the U.S. are a powerful demonstration of how people's collective strength can take on and defeat authoritarian tendencies, even when they are backed by big corporations, a compromised media ecosystem, and algorithm-driven social media platforms that amplify division, hatred, and anti-people politicians,” Mr. Venugopal said in a post on X.

Change is in the air. The midterm results in the US are a powerful demonstration of how people's collective strength can take on and defeat authoritarian tendencies, even when they are backed by big corporations, a compromised media ecosystem, and algorithm-driven social media platforms that amplify division, hatred, and anti-people politicians. They remind us that democracy ultimately belongs not to billionaires, powerful interests, or technology platforms, but to ordinary citizens who choose to participate, organise, and make their voices heard. When people come together in solidarity and refuse to surrender their rights and freedoms, they can overcome even the most formidable forces aligned against them. The People, United, Shall Always Be Victorious. INDIA, United.

He argued that democracy belongs to ordinary citizens who make their voices heard, and not to billionaires, powerful interests, or technology platforms. “When people come together in solidarity and refuse to surrender their rights and freedoms, they can overcome even the most formidable forces aligned against them. The People, United, Shall Always Be Victorious. INDIA, United,” Mr. Venugopal said in the post.

Mr. Ramesh described the results as a “stunning verdict” against U.S. President Donald Trump. “Personalities aside, the results demonstrate the power of midterm polls to enforce accountability. In our own country, the ONOE (One Nation, One Election) idea that is being advocated by the Modi government will significantly blunt that instrument,” he said on X.

The U.S. midterm elections have also restored the institutional balance that was at the core of a constitutional democracy, Mr. Ramesh said. “That balance has been dangerously disturbed in India since 2014,” he added.

Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari said in an X post: “When egregiousness becomes the norm rather than the exception, people know how to smash this so called ‘New Normal’.”

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi put out a post on the victory of Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who will be the first Muslim in the U.S. Senate.

“An Abdul has won in Michigan; now the Abdul from Uttar Pradesh will have to strengthen his political identity. The Sanghis have tried very hard to turn ‘Abdul’ into a taunt. The time has come for us to show that Abdul does not bow to anyone except Allah. No more will we roll out the prayer mat,” Mr. Owaisi said in a post on X.

एक अब्दुल मिशिगन में जीत गया, अब उत्तर प्रदेश के अब्दुल को अपनी सियासी पहचान मज़बूत करनी होगी। संघियों ने "अब्दुल" को एक तंज़ में बदलने की बहुत कोशिश की है। वक़्त आ गया है कि हम दिखाएँ कि अब्दुल अल्लाह के सिवा किसी की ग़ुलामी नहीं करता। अब दरी नहीं बिछाएँगे।

In a setback to President Trump, American voters gave the Democratic Party control of the U.S. Congress and flipped key gubernatorial posts in elections that will have repercussions beyond America. The widespread losses were attributed to anger against Mr. Trump’s policies, including the war on Iran, which have led to an increased cost of living and high diesel prices.