BSP leader Mayawati’s recent pronouncement that her party would enter into an anti-BJP alliance only if it gets a “respectable” number of seats shows her unpredictable character and underlines the difficulties in putting together a united fight against the saffron party. While she did emphasise the need for a joint Opposition front to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, stressing that defeating the saffron party should be top priority, her demands show that Opposition unity is easier said than done.
The next round of elections are due in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram by the year end, and the anti-BJP parties are yet to come to an agreement over an alliance. While the Congress is keen to have a seat-sharing agreement with the BSP in Madhya Pradesh, where the latter is said to have a strong presence in at least 10 districts, the Grand Old Party is not so inclined in Rajasthan, where it sees itself in pole position already. But the BSP, it seems, wants an electoral understanding in all the states. This all-or-nothing strategy is said to be holding up an announcement over a united Opposition for the elections in the four states.
The floundering attempts at unity perhaps spurred Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently to take at a dig at the anti-BJP parties when he said that their compulsion to forge a united front showed his party’s popularity. Modi may not be completely off the mark. While caste and community voting trends in the past elections dictate that a united Opposition is the best bet to fight the BJP, as that will consolidate anti-BJP votes, elections are also about a leader’s personality and chemistry with the voters. On this front, the BJP’s trump card is undoubtedly Modi.
The wave in his favour has perhaps dissipated but he still commands immense popularity among millions. His oratorical skills and ability to connect with the masses are perhaps unmatched. The Opposition parties can’t hope to give the BJP a real fight if they are incapable of showing flexibility and pragmatism.