The assembly election results of five states have dealt a blow to the campaign to create a non-BJP and non-Congress alternative in the country. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, who are trying to prepare alternatives at the national level before the elections, have suffered a setback.
Mamta Banerjee, who is dreaming of leading a non-BJP opposition front after defeating the BJP in Bengal, campaigned for Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh, the main battlefield of power. Camped in UP for several days. Keeping the development model of Bengal in front, he appealed to the people of UP to vote for Akhilesh. Had the results been in the favor of Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee’s aspiration to take over the anti-BJP non-Congress faction would have been strengthened. Now along with the SP, Mamta’s hopes have also got a setback.
After the Bengal victory, Mamta Banerjee started projecting herself as an alternative at the national level and increased activism. Now the increased stature of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal is an obstacle in his path. When Mamta Banerjee visited Delhi before the assembly elections, she made it clear her intention to overthrow the Congress. At the same time, it was also indicated to maintain distance from Arvind Kejriwal. In Delhi, she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then gave a statement against the Congress leadership and talked about an alternative opposition.
Earlier, when Kejriwal and his cabinet sat on a dharna at the Lieutenant Governor’s residence for several days, Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Karnataka Chief Minister Kumaraswamy and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had reached Kejriwal’s residence. After this, when things became normal, Kejriwal could not get a special place among the opposition parties.
Now in the changed circumstances, the challenge of Kejriwal as the face of a non-Congress, non-BJP alliance is in front. It is worth mentioning that in the past, the Rashtra Manch was prepared on the initiative of Sharad Pawar, which was formed by Yashwant Sinha against the BJP government on 30 January 2018. In this meeting, Sharad Pawar was elected the convener and Mamta Banerjee was put forward, but Kejriwal was not given any major responsibility. Now in the changed circumstances, the activities of Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, Sharad Pawar, Chandrababu Naidu from South India, Chandrashekhar Rao, Uddhav Thackeray will decide the direction of opposition politics.
KCR leader Chandrashekhar Rao has openly said that a third front should be created in the country. A front that can give a tough competition to the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. KCR’s thinking is that the Third Front will be a coalition of non-BJP and non-Congress parties. Parties like Trinamool Congress, RJD, SP, AAP, Shiv Sena and NCP will play a big role in this. Now the Punjab election results have increased the interference of the Aam Aadmi Party.
The sign of these opposition parties moving away from the Congress was visible on the issue of suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs. When Speaker M Venkaiah Naidu rejected the demand to withdraw the suspension of the MPs, most opposition parties, including the Congress, staged a walkout from the House, but the Trinamool Congress did not. Before the Parliament session, the Congress called a meeting of the opposition, then the Trinamool made a distance. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appealed to the opposition leaders to forget all differences and stand united inside the Parliament in the interest of the country, but this appeal remained unheard.
Power test before 2024
The far-reaching effect of the assembly election results will be visible on the preparations for the general elections of 2024. The equations for Presidential election and Rajya Sabha election will be decided immediately.
presidential election : The term of the current President ends on July 24. Before this, the process of electing a new President will begin. The weightage of total votes of UP in UP elections is more than 1.40 lakhs. This number is about 13 percent of the total votes for the President.
Rajya Sabha Elections: Eight seats are currently vacant in the 245 Rajya Sabha seats. The BJP currently has 97 seats and adding its allies, this figure reaches 114. From April to August this year, elections are to be held for 70 Rajya Sabha seats, which include Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala as well as UP, Uttarakhand and Punjab. Elections for 11 seats in UP, one seat in Uttarakhand and two seats in Punjab are to be held in July this year. The results of elections in these three states are going to directly affect the equation of Rajya Sabha.