An opposition without Congress is a myth

For the last few months newsrooms have been abuzz with speculations of a rising third front, comprising of non-BJP and non-INC parties, to take on the BJP. This is not the first time that such an attempt has been made, no it will be the last. But the question is whether it is rational to think of a third front in India?

These talks have gained momentum after the Congress wipe out in Bengal assembly elections and a defiance of the usual pattern in Kerala. This time, it is the National Congress Party president Sharad Pawar and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who are putting wind in the sails of this boat. 

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has been travelling lately to states where the MTC presence has been negligible. Her visits to various states and attempts to fill the void created by Congress, by and large, have been successful on some front. Former Goa CM and veteran Congress leader Luizinho Faleiro joined TMC and after the fiasco in Punjab there have been speculations that Amrinder Singh might jump ship as well.

Courtesy: Ma Media24

Similarly, in August, leaders like Sushmita Dev and Kirti Azad, who have a strong presence on the ground, have shifted to TMC. Sharad Pawar is another leader who has been at the forefront of this mission, supported by other TMC leaders like Yashwant Sinha. Political analysts believe that forces like TRS and Jaggan Mohan Reddy’s YRS Congress can be some parties that will form this new political group. But is it possible to ignore the Indian National Congress, even if the party is at its worst?

Earlier as well there were attempts of forming a third front which was largely unsuccessful, one reason being the lack of a face. This fact is further supported by a recent survey conducted by Prashnam. According to the findings of this survey, even today Rahul Gandhi remains the second most beloved face for the Prime Minister’s post, right after Narendra Modi. 

Courtesy: The Print

Also, one simply cannot ignore the 20% loyal voters of Congress. 20% of votes in a first past the post system is a formidable number, keeping in perspective that this number is bigger than the vote percentage of any three parties, other than the BJP, put together.

Looking at the survey, doubts surrounding the importance of Congress in today’s picture are further cleared as, intriguingly, all the non-BJP and non-Congress leaders combined did not poll enough to match the runner-up. 

Truth be told, it is nearly impossible, at least in the near future, to ignore the importance of Congress as a major political force. Collective efforts should be rather channelled towards resurrecting the Congress than shredding it off like some dead weight. It is a necessity, not only for the political parties opposing BJP but for the Indian democracy.