Anti BJP opposition unity efforts on full swing. Naidu takes the lead!

There was a time in 1989 about 20 years ago from now when the then Southern super star turned chief minister of Andhra Pradesh N. T. Rama Rao played a key role as the major player in the opposition unity but against the then Congress party which was quite a strong and formidable force then with leaders of the non Congress opposition like HN Bahuguna, Lal Krishna Advani, Madhu limaye etc played a vital role in forming a national front.

Today 29 years after, late NT Rama Rao’s son in law and the Andhra Pradesh CM Chandra Babu Naidu is working hard to become the nucleus of the non BJP opposition with Congress as a major partner in the would be grand alliance, the meeting for which has been possibly convened at the New Delhi’s Andhra Bhawan on the fourth week of November preferably on 22nd November.

Political sources reveal that Chandra Babu Naidu who till few months ago was the significant partner of the NDA and had developed disenchantment against prime minister Narendra Modi for backing out of his earlier commitment of granting the special state status to Andhra Pradesh, is now in a hurry to unify all the anti BJP opposition parties in the form of a grand allaince in order to give a strong and powerful fight to the saffron party and Modi in the 2019 general elections.

Andhra CM Chandra Babu Naidu has already held parleys with Congress chief Rahul and the fmr chairman of the UPA advisory council Sonia Gandhi, BSP leader Mayawati, TMC chief and CM Bengal Mamata Bannerjee, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Loktantrik Janata Dal chief Sharad Yadav, SP chief Akhlesh Yadav, Farooq Abdullah of National Conference and other regional party heads as well, including the CPM n CPI chiefs who had already declared their whole hearted affinity to the grand allaince.

Moreover, majority of these parties have backed the Congress party’s issues such as Rafale, demonetisation, banking frauds, CBI controversy and inflation and had also organised protest demonstrations in Delhi and their respective states, exposing the BJP led NDA government of their misdeeds and the ill conceived notions.

There is a broader concensus on the anti BJP led opposition unity for 2019 as the issue of leadership would be decided after the election based on, which party brings the maximum number of seats post general election. Even the Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has agreed to give up his claim for the leadership of the grand alliance.

This unambiguosly states the fact that the prime ministrial incumbent would be decided after the national election results arrive.

Moreover, keeping in view the possibilities of the BJP losing in three of the five states going to polls as per the recently declared C Voters survey, the moral of the Congress and rest of the non BJP opposition is too high which may perhaps contribute in making the grand alliance experiment a huge success.

However, despite all this some political analysts are still of the high opinion that the fractured opposition, if it really does not unite, even in worst come worst situations, the chances of prime minister Narendra Modi still seem too bright as his individual graph as a charismatic PM still has an upper hand in the country’s politics with no consensual or individual leader of the opposition including Rahul is able to overcome Modi by gaining extra marks or numbers.

Till date whatever surveys on the prime ministers’ popularity or future PM’s choice had been carried out keeping Rahul or other leaders’ opposite to him , every survey has given Narendra Modi an upper hand as an individual choice for the country’s PM.

There is a general assesment that lot depends on the cohesive and credible non BJP opposition’s formation of the grand alliance but will it really happen is still a moot question as BSP chief Mayawati and TMC chief Mamata Bannerjee including Akhilesh Yadav to some extent are still nurturing overambitions for being the future prime minister of the country, not prepared in any case accepting Rahul Gandhi to rule over them.

Since the national elections are still 9 months ahead there are also rumours that being the dalit leader if Mayawati is offered the deputy prime ministership of the country post 2019 election there is no reason whyshe will not form an alliance with the BJP led NDA as nothing is impossible in politics. What’s your take friends?