Brij Bhardwaj
New look revived NDA will meet in Delhi on July 18. Among those attending will be Ajit led NCP and Shinde’s Sena. Besides them BJP leaders are talking to Secular Janata Dal, Chirag Paswan, and many others. The idea is that while opposition parties are only talking about forming a common front, BJP will be ready to face any onslaught with the help of many like-minded parties.
In Punjab, talks have made good progress to bring back Akali Dal into the fold of NDA. Talks are also taking place with many regional parties and leaders of the Dalit community, with a view to bring them into the NDA fold. The strategy is while BJP aims to win a majority in Lok Sabha on its own. The allies in NDA will provide extra cushion to the party. Two States which are receiving special attention are Maharashtra and Karnataka, which elect over forty members each to the Lok Sabha.
In Maharashtra it was felt that a combination of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress could offer a strong challenge. The same has been neutralised with majority of MLA’s belonging to NCP and Shiv Sena joining NDA. In Karnataka the edge enjoyed by Congress after its recent victory in State Assembly elections has been neutralised by bringing Janata Dal secular into the fold of NDA.
In Bihar, entry of Chirag Paswan and Jitanram Manjhi is expected to help in building a rainbow combination of upper caste who is loyal supporters of the BJP, and Dalits’ which can match the appeal of coalition led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. It is clear that BJP has taken note of efforts being made to unite opposition parties and is finding new allies in different States to strengthen its position.
There is a general feeling that even before opposition parties could combine and start preparing to fight the BJP in 2024, they have suffered a big setback with developments in Maharashtra. The entry of Ajit Pawar in NDA has made a big dent in efforts of opposition parties. Sharad Pawar, as a senior most leader in the country was expected to play a big role in building opposition front and may have led it but instead he has been made busy in trying to protect his home turf.
The opposition parties are also finding it difficult to overcome differences, as in many states they are fighting each other. Congress and Aam Aadmi Party are rivals in states of Punjab and Delhi, while Congress and Communist party are engaged in a bitter struggle in the state of Kerala. In West Bengal Congress and Communist are fighting Mamata Banerjee, State Chief Minister.
So what looked like a done deal to bring opposition parties together on a common platform looks difficult now, but it has prompted BJP to bring into its fold many parties to strengthen its position. Given popularity and personal appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP seems to be far ahead as far as Lok Sabha poll in 2024 is concerned. In this context it needs to be noted that voters in India have been voting differently in the poll for State Assemblies and Lok Sabha.
In 2019 Congress had won Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan just before the Lok Sabha poll, It had also been able to install a Government in Karnataka in coalition with Janata Dal Secular. But when it came to Lok Sabha elections, the BJP was able to win a large majority of seats.
With less than a year left for Lok Sabha polls, opposition parties have no strategy in place and continue to fight for space in different States. Aam Aadmi Party is waiting for clarification of Congress stand on ordinance issued by Central Government to take control of services in Delhi, a pre-condition for their joining the common front. So what we see today is NDA gaining new allies every day, while the opposition parties are yet to take initial steps to form a joint front.
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