The meeting of leaders of 15 opposition parties in Bihar’s Patna on June 23 signals a new urgency among them to coordinate their campaigns against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 general election. Against the backdrop of allegations that the BJP is misusing state power to corner the opposition, the leaders spoke on the importance of the meeting; For example, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin called it the “war cry of the United Opposition” for the “rebirth of secular democratic India”. In fact, the deliberations were exploratory, and the event owed more to optics than to formulating any general strategy. The recent victory of the Congress against the BJP in the Karnataka assembly elections has had a mixed effect on unity efforts. Some regional parties like Telangana’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi now feel more threatened by the Congress than by the BJP. Parties like the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal want the Congress to vacate the field or play a different role in each constituency for a common candidate against the BJP. Janata Dal (United) chief and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who is at the forefront of the unity effort, is not at the peak of his popularity or credibility.
The chemistry of any alliance is different from its arithmetic. Coming together of parties or leaders does not automatically bring together their voters, as past experiences show. If even a single joint candidate against the BJP achieves its formidable objective, it will be no guarantee of victory for the opposition. It is natural for parties to change their views over time, but voters are smart enough to tell opportunism from the evolution of positions. A serious case in point is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which rose to prominence naming all these opposition leaders but now seeks their support to retain power. There should be some broad principle that binds parties with different ideological ideologies together. Federalism and secularism may be the principles that bind the opposition, and here again, the AAP’s hesitation is instructive. Attempts to save credible leaders accused of corruption in the name of secularism or federalism will also not be liked by the public. While questioning the excesses of the BJP and its problematic agenda, the opposition parties should also introspect and take corrective steps to win back the trust of the people. He should also expect a multi-pronged response by the BJP in the coming months.