Opposition’s challenges before India’s Lok Sabha poll

January 15, 2024

NEW DELHI – How strenuous is the seat- sharing exercise for the India alliance, and can the Opposition overcome its challenges before the polls?

The main objective is to find a mutually acceptable formula that sat- isfies all 26 partners. The coalition has decided to field a single candidate against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to avoid splitting the opposition vote.

The Congress is currently in dis- cussion with its partners in the alliance to finalise seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. While forming part- nerships before the polls is relatively easy, the real challenge lies in agreeing on seats and choosing a suitable leader for the Opposition bloc.

However, the Congress, the lead negotiator of the coalition, finds itself in a difficult position as most regional parties are bargaining hard for more seats, which could only come at the cost of the Congress party’s interests. The party president, Mallikarjun Kharge, has instructed the party to ini- tiate talks with other leaders in the alliance to address this dilemma.

The Congress has formed pre- poll alliances with different political parties across several states. It has partnerships with DMK in Tamil Nadu, RJD and JD (U) in Bihar, and JMM in Jharkhand. However, the party has not formed alliances with major political parties in crucial states like Assam. The Congress is currently try- ing to strike a balance between fulfill- ing its own needs as well as those of allies. While Congress leaders are will- ing to make compromises, there are varying opinions among local Con- gress units in different states. To address this issue, Kharge has directed the party’s alliance committee to put in extra efforts to accommodate