Discussions are going on on opposition unity for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but no concrete decision or big announcement has come to the fore so far. However, recently some leaders’ meetings have started mobilizing against the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is also believed that these parties can present opposition unity. Interestingly, the name of Congress is nowhere in these parties. Experts point out that after Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, the equation of opposition unity has changed a bit for the Congress.
understand the latest preparations
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee met in Kolkata on Friday itself. It was said that there was talk between the two on forming a third front without the Congress. Recently some leaders of opposition parties wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Among them were Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann from the Aam Aadmi Party, Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s K Chandrasekhar Rao, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah, Nationalist Congress Party’s Sharad Pawar, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.
However, this process has not stopped. There is news that CM Banerjee is going to meet Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik. Apart from this, she can meet opposition leaders by coming to Delhi in the end of March or beginning of April. Here, Delhi CM Kejriwal had also planned a dinner for the first 7 Chief Ministers, which was later cancelled.
Has the Bharat Jodo Yatra changed the situation?
The attitude of these opposition parties towards the Congress was not always like this. Banerjee, who parted ways with the Congress in the 90s, then fought the West Bengal elections with the Congress. She was also the Railway Minister during the UPA era. After defeating the BJP in the Bengal elections in 2021, Banerjee reached Delhi and met the then interim president Sonia Gandhi. Here, you have also been with the Congress in Delhi.
During that time, both Mamta and Sonia were present in the meeting of opposition parties held after a few months. After this, a large-scale meeting was held in July 2022 as well.
what happened next?
It is being said that the political activities that took place at the end of 2022 changed the situation. Then Rahul Gandhi started the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. During the yatra, the Congress got a new president in the form of Mallikarjun Kharge. It is now being said that the spotlight that Rahul got was overshadowed by many opposition parties.
It is believed that the opposition parties do not have high hopes from Rahul against Modi. Here, BJP is also trying its best to corner Rahul after his speech in London. Meanwhile, due to the speech given during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Delhi Police also reached the door of the Congress MP.
What is the plan ahead?
It is not easy for the parties to take a decision on the third front. On the one hand, the Congress wants to lead the opposition and leave less space for others. At the same time, other parties also want a bigger share, but this is not right in terms of the stature of the Congress.
Rahul Gandhi is also a question
All is not well between Banerjee and many leaders like Kejriwal and Rahul. Both the leaders do not consider him a serious politician. Both the leaders are indicating through their words that Rahul is benefiting the BJP through his actions. Also, TMC and AAP are giving a big blow to Congress from Delhi to Punjab and from Bengal to Meghalaya.
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