It will be a difficult task for the Bihar Chief Minister to be an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
NEW DELHI: Will Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar be able to unite political rivals in the opposition camp like CPM stalwart Harkishan Singh Surjeet could do on several occasions in the past? There used to be only two fronts—BJP and the Left—in the era of Surjeet. He had played a pivotal role in installing the VP Singh government by uniting both the BJP and the Left bloc in 1989. Similarly, Surjeet was also instrumental in installing the Congress-led UPA government with the outside support of the Left Front in 2004.
But the situation is totally different now. There are multiple parties whose leaders cannot come together, given their personal ambitions and political lines in states, which is what makes it a difficult task to unite all the opposition parties for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While efforts are underway to float a front of the opposition parties for the 2024 electoral battle, the BJP wants emergence of such outfits which could split votes of the opposition camp. The saffron party is aware that like BSP, the AAP and Owaisi’s outfit will not go with any political party in opposition.
Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) is working on a war-footing to firm up a non-Congress and non-BJP front at the national level. After meeting with farmers’ organisations, Rao will highlight his work at the national level. At the same time, the Congress is preparing to contest 372 Lok Sabha seats on its own. Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ is part of this strategy. Congress may plan some more yatras if this one succeeds. However, the first meeting that Nitish held after reaching Delhi was with Rahul. Nitish is under the impression that Congress will continue its alliance with JDU because it is in the coalition in Bihar. Nitish also met AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and other non-BJP politicians including Left leaders.
The question, however, is whether AAP can go with Congress. Observers say AAP going with Congress cannot be a possibility. The newbie party has become an arch rival of Congress after defeating it in Delhi and Punjab in a big way. Now AAP is eyeing Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, MP, Haryana and Rajasthan where Congress is in direct fight with BJP. The AAP cannot commit the mistake that Congress committed in UP by supporting BSP, as after this move the grand old party stood marginalized in the largest Hindi state. Congress helped AAP form government in Delhi for the first time for 49 days, paving the way for consolidation of the newbie outfit. It was Rahul’s decision. Now, AAP is trying to replace Congress in various states. Undeniably, the regional parties always posed challenges to Congress, as these outfits usurped the vote bank of the Congress wherever they expanded their footprint. UP and Bihar are the two big examples. Congress got wiped out of the south states as well. Mamata Banerjee’s TMC emerged as a real Congress in Bengal. The grand old party came down to fourth position in Maharashtra. Regional parties know that they will grow stronger if Congress becomes weaker. So, the AAP wants to see Congress getting weaker day by day. Nitish who is banking on RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav’s support in Bihar, would never want Congress to be able to strengthen its position in the state.
In a significant statement, Mamata Banerjee said that an anti-BJP front will be formed with the help of Nitish Kumar and Hemant Soren. The Bengal CM had made efforts to form a coalition, but the Congress did not support her. The leadership question also remains. Analysing the future moves of the regional parties, observers say that AAP, AIMIM and BSP would not join any such front. KCR has held meetings with Nitish, Akhilesh and farmers leader Rakesh Tikait. These leaders are also unlikely to join hands with Congress. Rao suits Akhilesh and Tikait in terms of future politics.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh is said to be in no mood to be in any kind of confrontation with the BJP. With this in view, the former UP CM may choose to follow the politics of Mayawati. He may contest elections like Mayawati’s BSP did. KCR’s party TRS will field candidates in various constituencies across the nation, signalling that he is not going to be in any front where Congress is present. Now, all eyes will be on whether Nitish and Mamata will accept Congress’ leadership or not. The Left parties are also unlikely to go with Mamata.
Congress is keen to project its own PM face. Congress leaders name Rahul as the party’s PM face. However, the final picture will be clear after the Congress president poll. Nitish may be trying to boost the morale of the opposition, but he cannot work in the vein of Harkishan Singh Surjeet who was skilled at stitching coalitions in the 90s. What is also to be noticed is that there were no leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and KCR in that age. Moreover, the BJP did not have a strong leadership then like it has at present. So, it is highly unlikely that Nitish Kumar will be able to fulfil the opposition’s dream to throw the Modi government out of power. What is worse is that all the parties in opposition are eyeing the PM’s post.