United Oppn can do wonders

In July, when top guns of the Opposition in the country met in Bengaluru to chalk out an alliance and strategy to take on the ruling BJP at the Centre, hopes had risen high that finally, a formation was taking shape to fight the saffron juggernaut in the country.

Six months down the line, though an alliance has been cobbled together – INDIA - there is hardly any semblance of unity among the constituents with parties publicly decrying each other and engaging in mudslinging to smear their rivals in the opposition camp itself.

The latest example of this was the manner in which TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went after former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, taking potshots at his Nyay Yatra and dubbing him a ‘migratory bird’.

She did not stop at this and went on to taunt the Congress saying the party would not be able to win even 40 seats in the coming Lok Sabha polls.

Didi seemed perturbed over the Congress demanding more than the two seats the TMC had offered to that party in West Bengal of the total 42 with the TMC reportedly deciding to dump the Congress and fight the Lok Sabha polls on its own.

Elsewhere in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, there are more optimistic signs of opposition unity with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress apparently close to clinching a seat deal in UP.

In Delhi too, the AAP and Congress could reach a seat sharing pact for the seven seats up for grabs.

The same could happen in Punjab if local Congress and AAP leaders approach seat sharing with a give-and take attitude, Seat sharing in the southern states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka could be a smooth affair though in Kerala, it remains to be seen if the Congress and Left parties which have been fighting each other for decades, could forget their antipathy and present a united front to take on the BJP.

Even a friendly contest cannot be ruled out in Kerala where any split in the secular vote is sure to benefit the BJP.

That still leaves a big chunk of India including the north and north-eastern states where without a semblance of unity among parties big or small, the Opposition will be helpless in stopping the BJP from running away with the honours.

In Rajasthan, in Madhya Pradesh, in Bihar and Haryana, the Congress being the largest party in INDIA, will have to adopt a broad-hearted approach and make enough sacrifices to present a single candidate of the opposition against the BJP.

In the North-East, the Grand Old Party will have to explore alliances with regional parties many of which will surely be smitten with the ‘big brother’ attitude of the BJP and the shoddy manner in which the party has handled the crisis in Manipur which is still on the boil.

The battle is never lost till the last shot is fired and that is something which should not be lost on the Opposition with many leaders already seemingly resigned to the prospect of another term for the BJP in office.

Stopping the BJP may not be easy but it is no impossible task and all it needs is a carefully crafted strategy and an error-free selection of the most suitable candidates in each of the 540 odd constituencies.

There is simmering dissatisfaction among the masses about food grain and commodity prices, unemployment, the relentless targeting of opposition leaders and the constant harassment of some sections.

This is something the opposition will have to tap in and mould into a powerful campaign tool in the next two months if they are really intent on toppling the current dispensation from power.