“One against one” will be mantra of the proposed larger opposition front being conceptualised by Congress and regional allies to take on the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 parliamentary polls wherein the front will file a joint candidate against the NDA candidate in over 500 parliamentary seats, insiders in the ruling grand alliance (GA) in Bihar said.
The strategy was mentioned by Bihar chief minister and JD(U) strongman Nitish Kumar in his recent interaction with top Congress leaders and regional satraps as part of his efforts to unite anti-BJP forces.
People familiar with the matter said several rounds of talks have been held among various regional parties on the structure of the proposed front and key posts for steering the coalition. They said the new coalition would have one convener and one chairperson and, in all likelihood, the convener would be projected as the prime ministerial candidate of the new front, likely to be finalised and announced by June.
“The chairperson would be more of a symbolic head of the coalition with certain decision-making powers,” said a top leader in the GA with knowledge of the talks matter.
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He said a similar experiment was done when the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was formed in 2004 and also when the Janata Party government was formed in 1977. “The new front would come up by June after a round of meeting with top regional parties in mid-May,” he said.
The ground work for proposed opposition front gained momentum after Bihar CM, along with his deputy Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi on April 12 in New Delhi. Rahul Gandhi had called the meeting “a historic step to unite the opposition” ahead of the 2024 parliamentary polls. The meeting came weeks after Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as MP following his conviction in a criminal defamation case by a Surat court on March 23.
However, questions remained on how “one against one” strategy would hold on ground, especially in seat selection, given rivalries between regional parties in states like West Bengal, Kerala, Telangana or in Tamil Nadu.
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Sources said talks are underway to thrash out a sweet deal for as per their strength in respective states.
For instance, in Bihar, GA leaders are firm that RJD and JD(U) would take a major share of seats while giving adequate share to allies Congress, Left parties, and HAM(S).
In West Bengal, sources said, the Trinamool Congress ( TMC) would have a major share in seat allotment but Left parties and Congress would be given adequate seats as per party’s strength in different constituencies.
Political observer D M Diwakar, former director of A N Sinha Institute of Social Sciences, said the strategy could work as there is already a realisation among regional parties opposed to BJP that if they do not unite, it would only pave the way for BJP to make a comeback in the next year’s polls.
“In many states , regional parties are rivals of Congress or Left. But when it comes to Lok Sabha polls, regional parties do not have much to lose because it does not affect their own state politics. They are open to forging an alliance to defeat a common enemy. Like in West Bengal, TMC might go with the front and accept Left and Congress as allies in Lok Sabha polls. In Bihar, all seven opposition parties are already on a joint platform. So, ‘one against one’ idea is quite workable,” he said.
“There is now a consensus growing among opposition parties to work on the ‘one against one’ strategy as propounded by Bihar CM. Nitish ji has the capability to forge a larger opposition front. Congress too is showing keenness to forge a new front, which is surely a good sign to take on BJP-led NDA in 2024 parliamentary polls,” said K C Tyagi, former national general secretary of JD(U) and veteran leader.
Tyagi, a close aide of Nitish Kumar, said the proposed front is working on fielding joint candidates against NDA in at least 500 seats so that there is a direct fight and less division of opposition votes.
National general secretary of RJD, Bhola Yadav said, “Things are moving in right direction. CM Kumar has already met several leaders from opposition and would also be meeting a few other leaders in coming weeks, including Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik.”
Speculations are rife that JD(U) strongman Nitish Kumar might be elevated as a face of the proposed front as its convener or chairperson.
The Bihar CM though has ruled out any prime ministerial ambitions.
Meanwhile, Bihar BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand said the “unity of opposition is like balancing the frogs on weighing scale”.
“There are many faceless support groups working for opposition parties sitting across the border. All the attempts of opposition unity will prove futile and end up as a fiasco,” he said.
