- Going by the optics presented to the discernible followers, the opposition political parties are surging ahead with a definite motive to present a united front to take on the might of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in the next general elections scheduled in May 2023. Of course, certain reports emerging from some quarters suggest that the general elections may be preponed by the ruling dispensation as a countermove to disrupt the opposition’s efforts at forging alliances with parties. People in the know would never discount such possibilities as past experiences amply demonstrate similar measures initiated. Indeed, the opposition parties are making earnest attempts at posing adequate challenges to the ruling party.
PC: NDA Kerala
- The moot point to ponder over here is whether the opposition parties representing various ideologies will ultimately arrive at a standard minimum program that is not only acceptable to them but also presents a picture of unity to the electorate who will be keenly watching the developments. Remember, except for the Grand Old Party, none of the other opposition parties can be honestly labeled as national parties by any stretch of the imagination. In other words, most of the opposition parties are regionally established players having carved out a niche for themselves mainly at the cost of Congress. Of course, the secular and communal narration so prevalent in the country would be at the center of any campaigns. This will be interesting.
- Mind you, the BJP’s full-throttle assertion about Hindutva and the narration surrounding nationalism has more often than not forced the opposition to adopt a soft approach towards the majority religion fearing backlash for minority appeasement. Such an approach only helped the BJP to aggressively go after the opposition block by highlighting the electoral compulsions forcing the so-called secular parties to make efforts at softening their stand against the majority communities. As it is the caste conundrum prevalent in the electoral milieu is labyrinthine that cannot be easily deciphered by even the professional psephologists. Further, throwing in for good measure the dangling of quotas and reservations, the electoral process appears most challenging.
PC: PTI
- This being the case, it will be interesting to observe how the fledgling opposition unity move takes further shape in the coming days. There is no dearth of tall leaders who are not only aspirational to don the mantle in the highest office of the land but also nurse overt ambitions to lead from the front. The most important aspect that will be under scrutiny will be how these parties arrive at a common ground vis-à-vis seat-sharing arrangements under the aegis of I.N.D.I.A banner. Ironing out these prickly issues will call for deft maneuverings and ceding grounds which could prove to be a huge task, especially convincing the ground cadre to toe the common line. In conclusion, brace up for some interesting political occurrences in the coming months.
