The Opposition is finally getting its optics right by coming together on a common platform. They have even found a very catchy name for it I.N.D.I.A. Apart from coming together for the headlines, a delegation went to Manipur recently and took an on-ground survey of the situation. This itself sent a reassuring and strong signal that the Opposition means to do business.
Another meeting of this alliance is now scheduled to be held in Mumbai at the end of August. The venue is interesting because Maharashtra is also the host for the MVA alliance that saw parties with differing ideologies come together for the common goal of defeating the BJP. It is this model that the I.N.D.I.A alliance wants to replicate at a larger pan-India scale.
Of course, there will be differences over seat sharing. More so, when the Congress is fighting most of the regional parties at the state level. But, on a positive note, talks are on to find some sort of a solution, especially between the Aam Admi Party (AAP) and the Congress, and the TMC and the Congress. Others with a conflicting agenda have stayed away from the alliance, such as the BRS and the YSRCP. In fact, with the Congress on the rise in Telangana, it seems highly unlikely that the BRS will be persuaded to join the alliance any time soon.
The issue of a prime ministerial face, too, seems to be shelved for now though the BJP makes it a point to raise it during every television debate. But both Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have ruled out the latter’s bid for the same. This has sent a positive message to the rest of the allies who were apprehensive to fight under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.
And in the meanwhile, there are Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh—and later on in Telangana. The Congress seems to have the edge in two of these, while the BJP and BRS are ahead in the other two. So, the countdown to 2024 has begun and with it the strategising and the posturing.
There are Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh—and later on in Telangana. The Congress seems to have the edge in two of these, while the BJP and BRS are ahead in the other two. So, the countdown to 2024 has begun and with it, the strategising and the posturing.