NEW DELHI, INDIA (TEH) – As India gears up for the forthcoming parliamentary elections slated for 2024, an unprecedented political development has unfolded. A broad coalition of more than two dozen opposition parties announced on Tuesday their decision to unite under a banner they’ve called “INDIA,” posing a formidable challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reigning Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Branded as the “Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance” (INDIA), this assembly of opposition factions has seized upon a strategy of taking the BJP on, by appropriating their nationalist narrative. The coalition’s name underlines their commitment to an inclusive India, placing national development at the helm of their political agenda.
In a press conference following a two-day meeting in Bengaluru, Mallikarjun Kharge, president of the main opposition Congress party, shared the alliance’s intent. “Our primary objective is to unite and safeguard democracy and the constitution,” Kharge told journalists.
The Bengaluru meeting is the second in a series where the opposition parties are working to iron out their differences and build a common platform ahead of the elections. Despite the BJP remaining the favourite to secure victory, this united front is intent on shifting the balance.
Earlier, 15 parties had agreed to band together against the BJP at the first meeting held last month. Though many of these parties are often seen as regional rivals, fragmented at a national level, their combined representation in the 542-member lower house of parliament is less than half the 301 seats the BJP currently holds.
In the wake of the conviction and consequent disqualification of Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi on a defamation charge in March, the opposition factions have rallied together, transcending their past rivalries to counterbalance the BJP’s influence.
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The BJP, in response, dismissed the INDIA alliance as a group of opportunists and the corrupt, as it met on Tuesday with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a 38-party coalition it leads.
In an impassioned statement, the newly-formed INDIA alliance stressed the seriousness of their cause. They warned that the “character of our republic is being severely assaulted in a systematic manner by the BJP,” pledging to protect the idea of India as envisioned in the Constitution.
In an initial display of the alliance’s policy goals, the focus will be on combating the rising costs of living and unemployment. They pledged to build a balanced economy with a robust public sector that complements a thriving private sector.
“We commit to contesting the calculated conspiracy by the BJP to target, victimize, and suppress our fellow Indians,” the coalition affirmed.
Rahul Gandhi emphasized the stakes of their struggle against the BJP, framing it as a battle to “defend the idea of India, defend the voice of the Indian people”.
According to Kharge, the coalition’s next meeting will establish an 11-member coordination panel, name a convenor, and address the complex matter of how seats will be distributed among the alliance members, so they can individually contest against the BJP.
West Bengal’s Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, one of the influential opposition leaders, captured the spirit of the new alliance in her words. “From today, it’s a real challenge,” she declared, with a defiant addendum – “Catch us if you can.”
