Ajit Pawar shock vertical split of the NCP has sent opposition parties in a tizzy. The dust had barely settled after the Patna rally, and plans for the next meeting were made, but the NCP crisis has triggered confusion in the opposition ranks. The split seems deeper than before and more permanent than in 2019. The Congress and the AAP don’t seem eye to eye on many fronts especially on central ordinance or strategy to contest polls together.
Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar seems to be in a hurry since there are rumours that a similar earthquake is going to hit the politics in Bihar where all seems rozy on the top but tensions are mounting. To begin with, the opposition never had a coherent plan, a cohesive ideology and completely lack coordination. The only desire is to stall PM Modi in 2024 but they don’t know how this is to be achieved. Parties such as RJD, SP, Congress may condemn the political developments in Maharashtra alleging that BJP compromises with corruption and the corrupt, but their record is not exactly clean and the voter is not impressed.
Shockingly, there was no tears or sympathy this time with NCP Supremo who has always outsmarted his nephew and allies often. But opposition front is in a serious crisis especially with AAP dealing with serious charges of corruption against senior leader many of whom are in jail. The AAP anti-corruption bogey has been sullied by the liquor scam or the renovations in Delhi CM Residence. These are not going to sit well with the voter reeling under price rise.
Moreover, the opposition statements to the media have not helped its narrative, they are largely seen as a non-serious, completely territorial with no desire to contest election together. The inner contradictions among the Congress and regional parties has always been there since whether it is the NCP or TMC, they are off shoots of the Congress, vying for the same vote and often undifferentiated from the mother party yet competing with it for the same space. The Congress has hardly played big brother, they have not been accommodating or evolutionary something that the BJP has mastered. The BJP has learnt that compromise to retain and snatch power are a part of the power play and such compromises are needed to make inroads into new areas. It is not without doubt that cracks in the NCP were visible for all to see when Supriya Sule was anointed as the successor of Sharad Pawar with or without the blessing of the party workers.
The opposition alliance composed of primarily scions of political families have been at the receiving end of dynasty jibe by the BJP, an accusation which is not unfounded since in almost all of these parties, the families control all important party and legislative posts leaving little scope for others to grow. The end result dynasty is in crisis and a people’s revolution in the offing those who change are destined to make history and those who don’t are destined to be judged unfavourably by people, students of history and voters.
