Finally, They Agree To Meet In Patna On June 23
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2023-06-08 03:14:15
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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
Rubbishing all speculation and so-called 'reports', the opposition parties crossed the first - and the major - hurdle in their bid to unite against the BJP when the venue of the conclave (Patna) was kept unchanged and the meeting rescheduled for June 23 when all the top leaders of the major opposition parties, including the Congress, the TMC, the BRS and AAP, will be available and will attend the important meeting.
This is a good sign and proves that Bihar chief minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar is becoming the most acceptable face and the fulcrum of opposition unity after several similar bids by Mamata Banerjee and KCR in the past did not get much purchase.
This meeting is important because other than affording the top leaders of major opposition parties an opportunity to come face to face and discuss how they wish to fight unitedly against the BJP, it will be the first time that several parties who are not on the same page (like the Congress and the AAP, for instance) will share the stage and perhaps forget their mutual animosity to try and strategize how to beat the BJP in 2024.
The opposition has much to cheer about. The BJP has lost in Himachal and Karnataka in recent assembly elections. Although Prime Minister Modi's popularity has not gone down in recent polls, the good news is that Rahul Gandhi's has increased after the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The meeting should also seriously consider the one-to-one formula suggested by Mamata Banerjee for that is one of the best ways to take on the BJP as it will not divide opposition votes. Although it had failed in UP when the SP and the BSP had united in 2019 Lok Sabha elections and it has been proved that mass transfer of votes from one party to another in case of a joint candidate does not always take place, there is much less chance of division of votes if there is a joint opposition candidate.
As has been said by almost all opposition leaders, the question of who will be prime minister if the alliance wins should be left for later. For now, the opposition should work on a common minimum programme and campaign strategy as also the fact of who is going to take on the BJP where. In this age of data driven elections, the opposition needs to study the data and work out its strategy accordingly. The Patna conclave is going to be the ice breaker. More such meetings need to take place regularly. Sub-committees need to be formed to look after specific issues and the unity bid taken forward in all seriousness. India needs a strong and united opposition to ensure that bills are not rushed through Parliament without discussion and the country's federal structure is not weakened further.
