New Delhi: Electoral successes of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are threatening the voter base of not just the Congress, a national party, but also regional heavy weights who influence state politics. They fear that the BJP juggernaut if unchecked would only further diminish their political footprint.

The end outcome: an alliance of convenience at the national level, including among otherwise bitter rivals in state politics. The driving mantra of survival for these political parties is the ‘BJP’s enemy is my friend’.

The first sign of such an alliance is visible in the run-up to the presidential and vice presidential elections where arch political rivals are expected to come together. Political rivals had come together earlier for a meeting called by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on 26 May. The unity, which was visible in the budget session, was cemented after the government notified the new rules for cattle slaughter.

A public meeting which will be convened in Patna on 27 August by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad is expected to further renew these ties.

While there have been several attempts by some of the key opposition parties to offer issue-based support to each other, like that on demonetisation, this is the first time that arch political rivals have come together.

Gandhi’s meeting was attended by two sets of otherwise bitter political rivals. It had, sitting across the table, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and CPM general seceratary Sitaram Yechury on the one hand and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on the other.

“All the opposition parties realize it is time to bury the hatchet and move to see bigger challenges. This fight is not just against the BJP but against an ideology. We all saw what happened in Uttar Pradesh, it is following that the rival political parties realize they need to come together," a senior Congress leader said requesting anonymity.

During the cattle slaughter regulation controversy too, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan of the CPM and Banerjee jointly led the opposition’s charge. Similarly, BSP and SP have made it amply clear that it would be part of a non-BJP grouping including either of them.

To be sure this alliance is premised on a shaky foundation. “Everyone is aware that coming together is the only solution and remaining isolated will endanger their political clout. The problem with such an alliance, which is eyeing 2019, is that they do not have a credible, united face. Nitish Kumar was one such name but he has already said that he is out of the race. The big challenge is to have a face which can keep the flock together," a senior JDU leader said requesting anonymity.

Their immediate test will be in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, where these opposition parties have committed to stay united. While the National Democratic Alliance enjoys a comfortable majority in Lok Sabha, it is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha and hence remains vulnerable.

“The opposition unity will be visible in many forms and many different places. Apart from public meetings, the two main events where opposition parties are likely to come together are presidential elections and the monsoon session," said a senior leader of SP who is based in Lucknow.

Political analysts believe while the emergence of BJP as the principal pole of Indian politics provides the basis for such a unity move among opposition parties, it would depend on their ability to field a credible face as its leader.

“Issue-based opposition has a space and they will succeed on specifics. But the question is what issue will the opposition come together on? On something like demonetisation, the public did not back opposition’s stand. The leadership crisis will be the biggest challenge—which rival in this list will accept another as their leader?" said Manisha Priyam, a Delhi-based political analyst.

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