The meeting of the opposition parties in Patna indicated that if everything happens as per their plan, then equations in the country’s politics will change. But, it is too early to say this with certainty.
The opposition parties may be seen together for now, but their leaders are yet to bond.
The meeting of around 15 opposition parties held on Friday at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s official residence, has not yet yielded any concrete result.
It has emerged that the leaders of the parties present in the meeting will compromise to some extent to oust the BJP from power. However, the Congress seems to have got the biggest benefit in this meeting.
Political analyst Manikant Thakur, who observes the politics of Bihar closely, said that the only achievement of this meeting is that several parties were seen together on one platform. He believes that the Congress has benefited the most from this meeting while Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been ‘exposed’.
He stated that by hosting the meeting, Nitish Kumar had thought of enhancing his role in central politics, but that did not seem to happen by this meeting.
After the meeting held on Friday in a bid to unite the opposition parties, all the parties said that they are united and will fight together.
Thakur believes, “There are many challenges in fully uniting the opposition parties. But, the Congress has understood that the opposition cannot be imagined without it.”
He said that the date of the meeting was extended for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The presence of Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul was also important in this meeting. He believes that the Congress can take advantage of this in the meeting to be held in Shimla.
The meeting to be held in Shimla is considered most important. After the Patna meeting, the leaders said that seat sharing will also be discussed in the Shimla meeting. Seat distribution is considered to be the biggest challenge.
Another political analyst Ajay Kumar says, “This is just the beginning. The political ideologies of those who gathered in the meeting are different.”
In the very first meeting held on Friday, the interests of the AAP and the Congress were seen clashing over the Delhi ordinance. Ajay Kumar said that if the interests of the parties clash with each other in the future also, then it can dent their unity prospects.
He says, “There are many opposition, regional parties, which have a good position in some states, they have not attended this meeting. Such parties can go with NDA or create a situation for a third front.”
It is also being said that after the opposition parties’ meeting, now the BJP will also be active. As there are more parties in the Grand Alliance, there will be more possibility of disputes.
In the given situation, the BJP will also be trying to attract other small parties towards it. When the BJP’s activism will increase, then it is certain that the contest will also be interesting.
After the Patna meeting, it has emerged that there are still many challenges before the opposition parties to unite. In such a situation, it is believed that if the interests of the opposition parties clash, the Congress can either enter the fray with only a few parties or fight directly with the BJP.
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