Sources say Congress reaches out to MK Stalin for ‘Opposition Unity’ plan and he agrees to participate

According to sources, the Congress party has reached out to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK Chief MK Stalin for a meeting of like-minded party leaders to discuss the current political situation and strategy for the upcoming national elections. The DMK, which is a key ally of the Congress in Tamil Nadu and at the national level, has extended its support to the Congress’s plan for an opposition meeting.

The Congress hopes to build on the united front shown by the generally splintered opposition parties during the budget session and form a broader alliance of opposition parties ahead of the 2024 general elections. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi dominating Indian politics since 2014 and winning two successive general elections, the BJP does not get a majority of the vote and could be in trouble if it comes up against a united opposition.

Opposition politicians say that the Modi government’s strongarm tactics have led to investigations and legal troubles faced by various opposition parties, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s conviction and disqualification from parliament. In response, 14 political parties jointly petitioned the Supreme Court, saying opposition groups were being selectively targeted by federal investigative agencies.

The Congress’s proposal for an opposition meeting is still waiting for the response of other opposition parties such as the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and the Left parties. Congress hopes that this meeting will help consolidate the opposition parties against the BJP government and build a strong front for the upcoming national elections.

Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal and the head of Trinamool Congress, has also called for a unified opposition to challenge the BJP in the 2024 elections. She had previously said her party would contest alone. With 14 main opposition parties accounting for 39 per cent of the national vote at the last election in 2019 and winning 160 seats in the 542-member parliament, the BJP alone got 38 per cent of the votes but won 303 seats in the first-past-the-post system. However, PM Modi remains hugely popular with high approval ratings after nine years in power and has been expected to win a third term easily in the face of a so-far divided opposition.