The idea of a grand anti-BJP alliance putting up a brave fight against the ruling party in 2019 and eventually ending its juggernaut, seems to be dying a slow death. There were structural issues with the coalition itself, with its constituents seemingly suffering from irreconcilable ego clashes and conflicts. It was anticipated that such a coalition won’t last for very long and the problems with such a coalition are already out in the open. There is still a year’s time before the country goes to polls and two major cracks have already appeared in the grand coalition. In the latest rift, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress President in the state of West Bengal, has gone after the TMC supremo Mamta Banerjee who had shown an inclination towards leading the anti-BJP coalition.
After the CPM snubbed the Congress and released a draft political resolution ruling out any political or electoral alliance with the Congress to defeat the BJP, the Congress has now come out snubbing the TMC president Mamta Banerjee.
The Congress state president seemed to suggest that the party has been irked by Mamata’s enthusiasm. Adhir clearly gave a cold shoulder to Mamta’s proposal of putting up a “one-to-one” fight against the Bhartiya Janta Party in the Lok Sabha elections, bound to be held next year. Adhir’s tone seemed quite aggressive as he even wondered why the West Bengal Chief Minister was acting as an adviser to the Congress. He also made it clear that the Congress is in no mood to take any piece of advice from the TMC.
Chowdhury also made it clear that the anti-BJP alliance must be led by its party president Rahul Gandhi, and also suggested that Mamata was trying to project herself as a pan-India leader.
It appears that the rift between the two parties is emerging out of the overambitious traits displayed by the West Bengal Chief Minister. The Congress state president did not stop there but also made adverse comments on Mamta’s administrative efficiency. He even said that the TMC and the BJP are two sides of the same coin, as the TMC had failed to stop violent clashes in the state during Ram Navmi. This is a strong hint of the Congress deserting the TMC, as it won’t make much sense to the electorate if the Congress joins hands with a party that it has itself dubbed communal in its make believe fight against communalism.
It must be borne in mind that Mamata has been quite vocal about forming the grand anti-BJP alliance and has been constantly harping on a “one-to-one” fight against the BJP in all states. In fact, she met the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi earlier this week and stressed on the need of forging a grand coalition. She also met a host of opposition leaders belonging to other parties in her visit to the national capital, which was seen by many as an attempt by the West Bengal Chief Minister to take charge of the anti-BJP alliance.
It appears that 2019 elections will not be a “BJP versus the rest” contest but a multi cornered fight which will ultimately allow the BJP to sail through comfortably. With the left ruling out an alliance with the Congress, and now the Congress in turn ruling out an alliance with the TMC, 2019 has already become a four cornered contest. However, more cracks will in all likelihood emerge before the 2019 elections, making the contest even easier for the BJP. After losing the Rajya Sabha elections last week, even Mayawati has said that she won’t back Samjwadi candidates hereafter, putting to rest the much-touted SP-BSP combine.
The Congress seems to be making a huge mistake at a critical juncture. Rahul Gandhi is infamous owing to his electoral incompetence throughout the country, and it cannot possibly expect any other party to fight the elections under his leadership. The best-case scenario that the Congress can expect for itself is a secondary role in the prospective coalition, with a fair number of seats left for it. The Congress is in no better shape politically than regional players like the TMC or the AIADMK. In fact, the regional players at least enjoy dominance in a particular state, while the Congress has only few scattered strongholds in parts of the country. Unless, the Congress manages to leave its ego aside and stop pressing for Rahul’s leadership, it will be reduced to a spoilsport for the rest of the anti-BJP parties, dividing the anti-BJP votes and creating greater room for the BJP.