In order to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is now in power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the legislative elections scheduled for next year, more than two dozen opposition groups in India announced on Tuesday that they have teamed up to establish the “INDIA” alliance.
Indian opposition parties form alliance for elections: The opposition parties’ attempt to confront the BJP on its own nationalist platform in elections scheduled for May 2024 is apparent in the alliance’s name, INDIA.
According to Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the main opposition Congress party, INDIA stands for the “Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance”.
At the conclusion of a two-day gathering of 26 opposition parties in the southern city of Bengaluru, Kharge told reporters, “The main aim is to stand together to safeguard democracy and the constitution.”
The opposition parties are meeting in Bengaluru for the second time in a month to resolve disputes and create a united platform before the elections of next year, which the BJP continues to be the favourite to win.
In the first meeting held last month, 15 parties agreed to work together to oppose the BJP.
Less than half of the 301 seats held by the BJP in the 542-member lower house of parliament are taken by the parties, many of which are regional competitors and have fractured at the national level.
However, they have attempted to put aside their disagreements in order to take on the BJP in the wake of Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in a defamation case and expulsion from the legislature in March.
“Snap us up if you can”
The 38-party National Democratic Alliance, which is led by the BJP, will meet on Tuesday. The BJP has slammed the opposition group as an alliance of opportunists and the corrupt.
In a statement, the INDIA coalition vowed to “safeguard the idea of India as enshrined in the Constitution” and claimed that the “BJP is severely assaulting the character of our republic in a systematic manner.”
The alliance announced that it will concentrate on combating unemployment and price increases as the first sign of a shared political and economic strategy.
“It stated that we must build a fair economy with a strong and strategic public sector as well as a competitive and flourishing private sector, fostering and giving every opportunity to expand the spirit of enterprise.”
“We resolve to fight the systemic conspiracy by the BJP to target, persecute, and suppress our fellow Indians,” it declared.
The battle against the BJP, according to Rahul Gandhi, is an effort to “defend the idea of India and the voice of the Indian people.”
At its upcoming meeting, the coalition, according to Kharge, will establish an 11-person coordination panel, choose a convenor, and discuss the challenging matter of allocating seats to alliance members so they can compete against the BJP head-to-head.
Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of the eastern state of West Bengal and a significant opposition figure, remarked, “From today, it’s a real challenge.” “If you can, catch us.”