A United Opposition Front

Once again the opposition parties have started to come together, this is not a new phenomenon. Dependent on the poll outcome of Assembly elections such efforts are launched to challenge the hegemony of the party in power, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Results of all such previous moves did not yield the desired results. Yet, whilst facing a tough challenge from BJP in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly Elections, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee appealed all opposition parties to come forward to her party’s rescue. Her appeal met a lukewarm response. Only the Samajwadi Party (SP) led by Akhilesh Yadav sent his party MP Jaya Bachchan to campaign in Bengal, others only extended lip service. But as the electorate handed over a massive victory to Mamata Banerjee again efforts to form an opposition alliance is in full swing. Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, leaders from Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdulla and Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed, NCP chief Sharad Pawar are among others who have openly supported the formation of an opposition front. Some of them are so enthusiastic about the proposed front that they are projecting leaders of their choice as the leader of the alliance. They willfully forgot the failed attempt made by the maverick West Bengal Chief Minister before the 2019 general elections to bring all opposition parties under a single umbrella.

It’s a pity that every time the opposition parties try to form such a front, they deliberately ignore the ground realities. Everyone knows that the idea is currently not feasible, for instance, if the Congress is a part of this proposed front several regional entities will opt out of the alliance as the grand old party of Indian politics is their main opponent in their respective states. Is it possible for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to be a part of the same front along with the Congress? Similarly, the alliance between the Congress and the Left parties in West Bengal had failed as the electorate outrightly rejected it as it was formed by compromising the ideologies of the respective parties. Again, if Congress stays out of the formation it will ensure a triangular contest instead of a direct fight between the ruling and opposition parties. Thus, instead of trying to turn a multi-party democracy into a two-party affair, the opposition parties should come up with alternative policies and programmes, so that they can find a common platform. Without having such a policy paper if the opposition parties try to form an alliance it will not be strong enough and is bound to crumble at the slightest provocation. At the same time the regional leaders should keep in mind that with limited appeal restricted in one or maximum two states, no one will be able to rule India. If one dreams to lead India, he or she should have a pan-India appeal. At present there is no such leader available in the opposition rank.