Is the INDIA front back on track? The successful seat sharing with Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party has given hope to the leaders of the bloc that all is somewhat well. Striking an alliance in tough states and with tough allies like the SP and AAP is no doubt an achievement. But will it deliver?
Some tie-ups done, all eyes are now on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and if Mamata Banerjee will be open to renegotiating seat sharing. Sources in TMC say “if Congress agrees to give one seat each in Assam and Meghalaya, TMC can think of giving a third seat in the state”. The two seats on which TMC has agreed for now are Malda and Berhampore. Congress has been demanding at least 7-8 seats which does not find favour with Banerjee.
However, with SP and AAP on board, the Grand Old Party and other opposition parties are hopeful that TMC will soften.
THE PLAYERS
Most of the talks have taken place at the residence of Mukul Wasnik, who is part of the seat-sharing committee set up by the Congress. Wasnik, once a member of G-23, is now close to the Gandhis and the top leadership. He obviously takes his brief from the Gandhis and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The brief, in this case, was simple — bend and compromise a bit but begin with some tough talk.
When faced with bottlenecks, the top leaders stepped in. Like in the case of AAP-Congress talks, Arvind Kejriwal and Raghav Chadha drove down to the residence of Kharge in the presence of Rahul Gandhi and it was announced that initially, the alliance would work in the Chandigarh mayor polls. In case of the SP, it was Priyanka Vadra who stepped in. With the top leaders clinching and doing the final talks, the pressure and onus on them is to make sure the alliance works on the ground.
BUT WILL IT WORK?
The ‘UP ke Ladke’ slogan did not click in 2017 when an alliance was forged against the BJP in the UP polls. Many workers on the ground complained that they were taught to train guns on each other and it would be difficult to work together. The voters, who would hear SP and Congress attack each other earlier, were left confused as to what was happening.
It could be a repeat even now. The fissures have begun to show. For instance, AAP and Congress are adversaries in Punjab and with the farmers’ protest, both need to be pitted against each other to ensure farmers are by their side. The murmurs of dissent are being seen in Gujarat, for example, where the agreement was to give one seat to AAP — Bharuch. However, the late Ahmed Patel’s son Faisal Patel posted on X that he and his party workers would not campaign for AAP. Mumtaz Patel, who has hit the ground since her father’s death, was keen to contest from Bharuch. This new alliance could breed animosity.
Again, take Berhampore, which is Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s constituency. If TMC-Congress strike a deal and TMC leaves the seat for Chowdhury, it puts him in a fix. The strong anti-Banerjee stand may have to be compromised and could confuse the voters to the advantage of the BJP.
To go back to UP, the only way the SP-Congress alliance can work is if BSP slips further. But then past figure shows that BSP vote share was at its highest though it won zero seats. An alliance need not mean consolidation strong enough to oust the BJP.
In politics, perception matters. With such seat-sharing talks being finalised, the INDIA front is not looking too weak. But picture abhi baaki hai.
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