Ring-A-Ring Of Poses, Boys?

It바카라�s no longer 바카라�unity in struggle바카라� but 바카라�struggle for unity바카라�. The first has the feel of a lapsed slogan from a long-gone age, the second represents the new upper ceiling of ambition for India바카라�s opposition. At a time when the BJP army바카라�s hoof marks are tracing an ever-larger map, evoking the kind of awe a Mongol horde may have done once, what is a dispirited opposition to do? Well, with the inevitability of def­eat almost cast in stone, they have opted to use the occasion as a mock exam, a laboratory from which someth­ing useful for the future may perchance emerge. From their scattered pockets of resistance, they are talking to each other, negotiating, working on a prototype for a united alternative front.

It바카라�s a daunting bit of political engineering, entangled as many of them are in webs of mutual rivalries. Political logic dictates that getting all hands on the deck can at best be for a one-off performance, not an enduring relationship. Still, a marathon exercise is going on to overcome the layers of inter- and intra-party antipathy. It바카라�s a bigger goal, or a convergence of interests, that drives them. The Opp­osi­tion sees the presidential poll as a trial run바카라�to forge a common front even if it is only a symbolic contest. The NDA clearly has an upper hand in the electoral college that will vote in India바카라�s new President (and vice-president) between July 17-20.

The usual suspects are in the game바카라�old hands at realignment politics. Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad have been on the hotline with Sha­rad Pawar. Quite the senior maestro at such things, Pawar has been urged by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to micromanage the unity efforts. Azad, Patel and Digvijay Singh have also been in touch with JD(U)바카라�s Sharad Yadav. The delicacy of the situation is that neither Pawar nor Sharad have been above imagining themselves ensconced in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

They still are potential candidates. But to minimise any instabil­ity right at the outset, a tactical line was set before Sonia hosted the first big event: a luncheon att­ended by leaders of 17 parties on May 26 (where Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, intriguingly, made his absence felt.) The opposition, it was decided, would not put the cart before the horse by naming a candidate. It would, instead, throw the ball tauntingly in the government바카라�s court. The idea was to let the BJP shoot its bolt first, then strategise around that.

A little game is being played here, beca­use the BJP too is still juggling its opti­ons. It has virtually closed the little gap in numbers: Jagan Reddy, the two AIADMK factions and the TRS have come over. And by keeping the name of Draupadi Murmu afloat, it has kept the BJD aloof from the evolving opposition front바카라�no way can Naveen Patnaik afford to go against an Oriya adivasi candidate. Desp­ite playing from this tactical advantage, the BJP is willing to discuss a consensus candidate. An uncontested transition will look smoother바카라�a prospect that looks unlikely, given the opposition mood.

Consensus has been elusive in the past too. In 1977, there was consensus on Sanjeeva Reddy. But in 2002, the Left demu­rred on A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and fielded Capt Lakshmi Sahgal. In 2007, the NDA fielded Bhairon Singh Shekhawat against Pratibha Patil; the Shiv Sena defied it by supporting Patil, a Marathi. In 2012, the NDA fielded P.A. Sangma against Pranab Mukherjee. And Nitish supported Pranab despite being in the NDA then.

Among the names floating in the opposition camp this time, Pawar바카라�s had a buzz, as a wily veteran with good rapport across party lines. There was also the thought that the Sena might again back a Maratha. A source close to him rej­ects the idea that he바카라�s upset at not being named. Pawar has never lost an election in his career, he points out. 바카라�Why should he contest when the NDA has an upper hand?바카라� he asks.

Others on the roster include Gopal Gandhi and Meira Kumar. What바카라�s tricky is the whole roulette of responses. The Left has been ambivalent. And Nitish is rumoured to be upset with the Congress for the lukewarm reception he got during a recent meeting with its high command, but the latter name might put him in a spot. Meira Kumar is Dalit, a woman, and more importantly, she is from Bihar. On top of that, there are undercurrents wit­hin the JD(U). Nitish has replaced Sha­rad Yadav as party chief바카라�and the strains are plain to see. Nitish had earlier backed a second term for Pranab instead of proposing Sharad, who is keen to contest for the post. The latter is working the lines with other parties, while Nitish is holding out a subtle threat by keeping up a public show of warmth with the prime minister.

Nobody is yet ready to call this undercooked coalition a mahagathbandhan. Yet there바카라�s some pep talk. Says D.P. Tripathi of the NCP, 바카라�It바카라�s an emerging front in which all democratic, secular parties are coming together. Its effect will manifest in the Gujarat polls and future polls. This effort has injected a realisation among parties that they can바카라�t survive in the Modi era unless they get their act together. This itself is a significant development.바카라�

Indeed, who could imagine arch-riv­als Samajwadi Party and BSP could sup toge­ther, or for that matter the Left and Trinamool? Definitely, the Nitish-Laloo alliance that held off the BJP in Bihar in 2015 set the logic. Akhilesh Yadav was part of the May 26 luncheon; both he and Mayawati will attend the August 27 rally called by Laloo Prasad Yadav. Both have said they have no issues sharing a platform in the interests of opposition unity.

NC leader Omar Abdullah believes beg­innings such as the luncheon, the photo-­op at DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi바카라�s 94th birthday, and Laloo바카라�s August 27 rally are all good 바카라�start-ups바카라�. He feels it바카라�s 바카라�too premature바카라� to call it a 바카라�grand alliance바카라�, and adds, 바카라�whether this momentum will gain as we come closer to the 2019 polls, only time will tell. But if we remain divi­ded, it바카라�s only the BJP which will benefit.바카라�

Among the gaps, the BJD is the big one바카라�it has yet to reveal its cards. The BJP바카라�s national executive was recently held in Orissa where the slogan of 바카라�vipa­ksh mukt Bharat바카라� was heard. An India without an opposition바카라�for a state-specific party like the BJD, the thought must give cause for an existential scare. Orissa goes to the polls in 2019 and opposing the BJP will be vital. Still, whether the BJD will support the opposition name for president will depend on the candidate, 바카라�but there will be no truck with the BJP,바카라� says a senior BJD leader.

If the presidential poll has come as a 바카라�blessing in disguise바카라� for the opposition to join hands, even if symbolically, there seems to be unanimity among big and small parties that the Congress will have to show maturity during this phase. 바카라�The imperialistic, feudal attitude won바카라�t work; they have to change their style of functioning if they have to take everyone tog­ether,바카라� says a senior opposition leader.

Senior opposition leaders are also concerned about overcoming future hiccups. RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh points at two factors: firstly, 바카라�it will have to be a mixed bag of outright alliances and informal understanding; there can only be an understanding in states where regional parties are directly in contest with the Congress; alliances can happen only in states where the two principal nat­ional parties are directly in contest바카라�. Secondly, there is a need to identify a 바카라�cap­able leader바카라� who can lead the front. Still, the logic of unity has again come up as an imperative. Just like when Pawar formed the NCP in protest against Sonia Gandhi바카라�s foreign origin but, within three months, fought the Maharashtra election together with his alma mater because the situation demanded so.