"Today POTUS, Tomorrow LOTUS": Congress, BJP Clash Over US Midterm Results

New Delhi: Opposition party leaders have seized on the sweep of both chambers of the US Congress by the Democrats in the midterm elections, drawing a parallel between US President Donald Trump's political setback and the electoral future of the BJP in India.The Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and AIMIM said the American midterm results indicated a pushback against right-wing powers across the world. The ruling BJP dismissed the Opposition's claim and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's political position remains unshakeable."Why did this happen to Trump? In America, he is America's Modi. And the one here is India's Trump," Congress MP Pawan Khera said. "The condition that happened there is going to happen here too. Through elections, he too will go."Priyanka Kakkar, who recently joined the Congress after quitting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in a post on X took a swipe at the BJP, referring to its election symbol. "Today POTUS. Tomorrow LOTUS," she said, comparing the political fate of the President of the United States with the BJP's future.Today POTUS Tomorrow LOTUS.— Priyanka Kakkar (@PKakkar_) November 4, 2026Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said "change is in the air", while party leaders circulated the slogan posted by Kakkar.The BJP dismissed the Opposition's celebrations and hit back with its own slogan which played on the lines that the US president may come and go, but the lotus will remain and PM Modi is not going anywhere.Congress MP Kumari Selja said the US midterm poll results showed voters eventually take action against centralised authority."Ultimately, whoever the dictators are, as is visible across the world, their end is bound to come. Because in a democracy there is no place for such people and one by one you will see it. In India too the time will come, you will see it, all this will be visible. When people stand up against dictatorship, even the biggest of such people, who consider themselves very big..." Selja said.Congress leader Jairam Ramesh linked the US development to the central government's push for simultaneous elections in India, alleging on social media that PM Modi wants to introduce the 'One Nation, One Election' policy because he fears suffering a similar "midterm" loss in assembly elections.In Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut shared an AI-generated video showing Trump being dumped into a bin marked "Hazardous Waste." AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi used the election of a Muslim candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, to the US Senate from Michigan to target both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party ahead of elections in Uttar Pradesh early next year."Abdul succeeded over there as a senator from Michigan. What do the BJP people say? 'Abdul fixes punctures'. The Samajwadi Party people say 'Abdul will lay out carpets'. We are telling you that brother, in a democracy, Abdul has become a senator, so now in UP Abdul will not bow his head before anyone, rather now he will become an MLA," Owaisi said.