Opposition maha mela

The BJP think tank’s take-no-prisoners approach in Karnataka has caused a blowback it could regret. True, the BJP emerged with the most MLAs and was entitled to deploy every trick in the political trade to control the reins of the country’s fifth richest state. But instead of exploring alliance possibilities with Janata Dal (Secular), it went for broke. The instinct for survival was so overpowering that bitter enemies such as Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav, and Sitaram Yechury, Mamata Banerjee smoked the peace pipe while Sonia-Rahul Gandhi found themselves sharing the stage with some leaders for the first time. The Opposition’s timing was spot on: the BJP’s indomitable image had run aground in Karnataka after a narrow miss in Gujarat. 

But it will be naïve to presume the display of one-big-happy-family photograph of Opposition leaders will translate into a seamless sharing arrangement in 2019. After three failed experiments at the Centre, voters would nurture doubts about the ability of this fourth arrangement-in-the-making of regional leaders plus the Congress to provide a stable alternative? The proof will lie in how the Karnataka coalition conducts itself for the next one year. There are discernable cracks as well as mixed signals in the unity façade. The Opposition is expected to continue the maiden closed-door meeting held on the sidelines of Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in ceremony.

Without a common overarching vision, the Opposition cookie can crumble easily. Its problem is it has very little left to promise after the BJP threw in even the kitchen sink while wooing the electorate in 2019.  The bulk of its leadership comprises the same jaded lot that was badly trounced last time around. There are questions over its sincerity following their reluctance to share with the Young Turks who have risen during the Modi regime. While a squabble-free seat-sharing arrangement is the first requisite, the Opposition also needs a common minimum programme with a realistic set of deliverables in order not to portray them as a mob out on a pure power grab. The fast unifying Opposition still has some distance to travel.