On day of Exit Poll, Opposition brainstorms tent expansion
Image credit X @INCIndia
Opposition alliance discusses post-poll possibilities
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, June 1: The Indian National and Developmental and Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) held a marathon brainstorming session to take stock of the Lok Sabha elections 2024. The Opposition leaders have ascertained that the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will come out with pride dented after the Lok Sabha elections to offer possibilities for political realignments.
The Congress president, Mallikarjuna Kharge, spoke to the media after the Opposition meeting. Kharge asserted that the Opposition block will win not less than 295 Lok Sabhs seats.
The Opposition block also persuaded the Congress to reverse the party decision to boycott the Exit Poll debate in television studios. The leaders asserted that the Opposition should not be seen in defeatist mode, sources said.
It has been reliably learnt that the Congress will work to enlist additional allies in the Opposition camp. The Opposition leaders, sources said, were of the opinion that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be alienated from the allies after the Lok Sabha verdict.
“The Opposition block will be keen to onboard the Biju Janta Dat, the Bharath Rashtra Samithi, Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and a few more after the Lok Sabha poll verdict,” said an informed source.
The Opposition leaders exuded confidence that they were able to push the ruling BJP on the backfoot. The Congress leaders are assertive that the party forced the BJP to contest the Lok Sabha elections on the manifesto of the main Opposition party.
“The BJP has made an enemy out of the BJD in Odisha. The BJD is a formidable force in Odisha. The Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, may finally drop his Congress aversion after the manner in which the BJP and the prime minister, Narendra Modi, attacked him on the campaign trails,” said a senior Congress leader.
The BJP bid to make forays in new territories such as Odisha, Punjab, and Telangana may offer possibilities of political realignments, added the Congress leader.
The BJP leaders on the other hand are assertive that the party on its own will hit another hattrick in getting a full majority in the Lok Sabha. The half way mark in the Lok Sabha is 272 Lok Sabha seat.
The ruling Janata Dal (United) had jolted the Opposition block by deserting just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The Opposition leaders are not ruling out the possibility that the Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, may do another volte-face after the Lok Sabha elections if the BJP falls short of the halfway mark in the lower house of parliament.
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