Congress does not want any other Opposition party to be in the fray wherever it is in direct contest with the BJP
If Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar succeeds in uniting the Opposition, it will be beneficial for the Congress in poll-bound states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Congress does not want any other Opposition party to be in the fray wherever it is in direct contest with the BJP.
Needless to say, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has spoiled the Congress game in various states. Political equations have undergone a considerable change after the Karnataka poll results, with the Congress consolidating its position a bit more. Now the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which has a considerable voter base in poll-bound states, hinted at supporting Congress. Undoubtedly, the BSP has dented Congress’ vote bank in Hindi belt states in the past.
The practice so far has been that the MLAs who fought on BSP tickets used to join the party in power. If an alliance is struck, then change of party would be a rare spectacle. What is worrying is that the BSP is distancing itself from Nitish Kumar’s efforts to unite the non-BJP parties. Mayawati’s party seems to be interested in having an alliance with Congress in UP. One round meeting has already taken place. Sources say the BSP is willing to fight the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with Congress. It is, therefore, ready to give half of the total seats of UP to Congress. But Congress wants alliance in all the states, for which an agreement is yet to be reached.
After gaining strength from Karnataka, Congress will do a hard-bargain during seat sharing. The grand old party will dictate its own terms, especially in terms of leadership for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress will accept an alliance with AAP only on its terms. However, AAP leaders’ statements are a strong indicator that Congress and the newbie party will not come together. If Congress regains its ground, the AAP will be in trouble. And, the AAP strategists are aware of this fact. In what casts a shadow of doubt over the opposition’s unity, the AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal used objectionable language against Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot.
At the same time, Congress is quite cautious in terms of its strategy for poll-bound states. Poll victories in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka have boosted the morale of Congress. The leaders are toiling to ensure repeat of the same results in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh as well. The unity of the Congress party is posing a challenge to BJP in these states.
The saffron party is divided in Rajasthan. The BJP is finding it difficult to find fault with CM Gehlot’s schemes as well. The Congress high command has succeeded in controlling the internal problems of the party in Rajasthan. Observers believe that Gehlot will be able to ensure a repeat of the Congress government in Rajasthan this year-end. Though AAP has no voter base in these three states, it can cut into votes of the Congress. So, the Congress would like AAP to be confined in Delhi and Punjab only. But Kejriwal is unlikely to do so. The Delhi CM is hardly interested in Opposition unity. He is keen only to ensure that the Centre’s ordinance is blocked in Parliament.