The Opposition alliance has been named as INDIA (Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance).

THE BILLBOARDS, BANNERS, poster with the message, “United We Stand” on the lanes of Bangaluru is a clear cut-message and the writings on the wall for the national and regional opposition parties gathered to streamline strategies for a common minimum program ahead of 2024.

The message was even more clear that no individual is greater than the country and all these parties will have to shun their regional political aspirations keeping in mind the larger interest of the nation, challenges ahead to protect democracy and safeguard constitutions when there is tremendous multi-dimensional assault.

The Opposition alliance has been named as INDIA (Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance). Most of the leaders taking part in the meeting stressed on the need to save the country and the democracy.

In his inaugural address, Congress Party Chief Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Congress party is not interested in the Prime Minister post and Congress was neither interested in power nor the post of Prime Minister which many believe is a very significant development. “Our intention in this meeting is not to gain power for ourselves. It is to protect our Constitution, democracy, secularism and social justice,” said the party chief.

In a tweet, Kharge said, “Like-minded opposition parties shall closely work together to foster an agenda of social justice, inclusive development and national welfare. We want to free the people of India from the autocratic and anti-people politics of hate, division, economic inequality and loot… “United We Stand”, for this INDIA.”

However there appears to be general agreement on the common minimum program and all parties have agreed on the strategy to take on the BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha polls. But how will political arithmetic evolves in due course of time is still not clear?

It is yet to be seen as to what extent the regional forces will compromise their regional aspiration because CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury has already ruled out Left-TMC alliance in West Bengal ahead of opposition meet in Bengaluru. The real challenge for this alliance will be seat sharing and who will be the face of the opposition.

Even though Congress has made it clear that it is not interested in PM’s post yet there is buzz in the political corridor that will Rahul be the best bet for the opposition, who will be the other if not Rahul Gandhi or should they fight election without a PM face.

The opposition parties are in Catch-22 Situation over Declaring a PM Face Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha Polls. But what is certain is now it will be INDIA v/s NDA in 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Speaking on the occasion, Rahul Gandhi said, it is a fight between Idea of India and the Idea of the BJP.

On the question of will Rahul Gandhi be the best for the opposition in 2024 Lok Sabha Polls or should they fight without a PM face, Praveen Rai who is a Political Analyst at the CSDS, Delhi, said, “The left-liberal parties face one of the toughest Lok Sabha elections in 2024, as they need to counter presidentialization of parliamentary elections by Modi with an equally strong challenger or turn it into a party competition based on ideological programme and policies. In the meeting of 15 opposition parties, some proposed Rahul Gandhi (RG) as a face of the coalition, but it can create a ‘catch-22’ political situation.”

Rai added, “Media opinion polls reveal that his popularity ratings witnessed substantial gains after ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and he continues to be the second most popular prime ministerial candidate after Modi. He should ideally be the first choice to lead the opposition formation but it can backfire due to two reasons.

1. RG’s failure in mounting a serious challenge to Modi in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections weighs against him and undermines his leadership legitimacy. His stewardship may not be acceptable to all the parties trying to forge an alliance and weaken the index of opposition unity.

2. RG’s disqualification as an MP and embargo to enter parliament for six years coupled with lacklustre leadership and dynastic entitlement makes him more of a political liability rather than a valuable asset. The opposition partnership needs a legitimate leader to lock horns with Modi, as without a face it will be half the battle lost even before the balloting for next national elections takes place.”

“Unlike 2019, Congress has now actively worked on rebranding and improving the public image of Rahul Gandhi. This image reinvention is capturing the attention of the voters. The political landscape has also changed significantly after a compelling campaign strategy that helped Congress win the Karnataka Assembly election. The outreach tactics of the Congress is now resonating with the voters and effectively positioning Rahul Gandhi as a viable option for change,” said Dr. Afroz Alam, presently working as Associate Professor and Head, Department of Political Science at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Hyderabad and he is also the Director (I/C) of Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy (CSSEIP), MANUU, Hyderabad.

On projecting Rahul Gandhi as the face of the opposition, Dr Alam said, “Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification may have been the outcome of the shifting narratives and evolving public sentiments in his favour. Be that as it may, it is not worth advising to project Rahul Gandhi as a face of PM for united opposition for two reasons.

1. Managing internal disagreements among multiple opposition parties with leaders of senior age and experience would be a complex task. It will weaken the opposition’s overall effectiveness.

2. It would be easy for the opponents to resort negative campaigns against Rahul Gandhi. In my opinion, the opposition instead of projecting a PM face should focus more on creating regional, organic and effective narratives to challenge the charisma of NarendraModi in 2024.

Shastri Ramachandaran, senior journalist, Political and Foreign Affairs Commentator while sharing a different perspective on the ongoing debate said, “General elections have never been about personality or choice of PM but of issues, policies, programmes, governance & economic development.”

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