Opposition leaders gathered in Patna last week to forge unity ahead of taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in next year’s general election, but the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress went on the offensive within days. Cracks seem to be growing inside.
The AAP wants the Congress to support its protest against the central ordinance on Delhi’s governance before joining hands with it, while the old party is miffed over AAP speaking against its leaders in Rajasthan. This is symbolic of the various contradictions in the opposition which make it difficult for it to put up a credible fight against the BJP. In 2019, the BJP won its 224 seats with votes from more than half the constituencies, so even an opposition front with common candidates would not be enough to oust the ruling party from power, unless there is a change in votes.
Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra was successful in itself, but it has yet to move forward in the direction of proving the Congress’s hope that it has gained so much momentum. The opposition can dream of winning power in 2024 only if its notion of unity moves beyond seat-sharing to running an election campaign that works. Its well-wishers see possibility in politics as the art of doing the seemingly impossible.
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Updated: June 26, 2023, 10:54 PM IST