Faceless INDIA Alliance = Advantage Modi

Kharge's non-committal stance indicated the issue of naming the alliance's face continued to be contentious.

The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or INDIA bloc once again deferred the contentious issue of naming its Prime Ministerial candidate though the constituents by and large agreed to set aside their differences and strike a seat sharing deal for the next Lok Sabha elections, due April-May next year.

At the end of the fourth meeting of the grouping, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge insisted that the first priority for the opposition parties would be to win the general elections and then name a Prime Ministerial candidate. "Without the requisite members, the discussion about the PM candidate is meaningless," he said.

Kharge's non-committal stance indicated the issue of naming the alliance's face continued to be contentious.

Countering ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’

But the main challenge for the INDIA bloc would be to give an effective counter narrative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agenda.

It is evident from the election results in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh that the BJP's 'Modi ki guarantee' turned the tide in its favour despite pollsters predicting a comfortable win for the Congress in at least two of these three states.

The opposition needs to make the right noises to draw the attention of the people to its agenda. Any attempt to play a soft-Hindutva card will prove counterproductive as seen in the past, especially at a time when the inauguration of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya is taking place weeks before next year’s Lok Sabha elections.

Over the years, BJP has established its dominance over the Hindi heartland. As of now, it appears to be a daunting task for the Congress and other regional parties to breach the BJP’s bastion in the north even though the southern parts of the country have shown a thumbs down to the saffron party in the assembly polls.

Modi has already seized the first mover advantage in launching the BJP’s campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections while the opposition is still trying to put its house in order.

INDIA’s Dilemmas: Congress Role, PM Face

To ensure unity and success of the INDIA alliance, it is imperative for the Congress to show large-heartedness and give a free hand to strong regional parties in seat-sharing to take on the BJP in their respective states.

The Congress has always maintained it must be the fulcrum of any opposition grouping due to its pan-India presence, but the grand old party lost some of that bargaining power recently due to its crushing defeat in three states.

These election setbacks have clearly emboldened many INDIA constituents in dealing with the Congress. One such example is the Trinamool Congress that has asked the Congress to shun its zamindari culture, a reference to its big brother attitude, in the larger interest of the alliance. Obviously, the Congress can no longer dictate terms.

The critical issue to be tackled by the bloc sooner than later is to decide its face or the challenger to Modi. Though Kharge maintained that the bloc would announce its prime ministerial candidate after the national elections, a faceless opposition would certainly be advantage Modi.

Aurangzeb Naqshbandi is a senior journalist who has been covering the Congress for 15 years, and is currently associated with Pixstory. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.