The most recent assembly election cycle, which included the states of Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, fell within the first two years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second term in office.
The results have posed an interesting challenge to the country’s opposition. It has realised that even when it appears to have an advantage, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can be defeated.
In West Bengal, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has recovered from a perceived weakness. The Congress, on the other hand, appears to be incapable of completing this task at this time. The results in Assam are a case in point.
What’s worse for Congress is that its flaws extend beyond the fight against terrorism.
The defeat of the Congress in Kerala, which defied a four-decade trend, is proof of this. The next general election is three years away, to be sure. If the opposition leaders’ meeting at Sharad Pawar’s residence in Delhi – which included representatives from the Aam Aadmi Party, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the All India Trinamool Congress, and the Samajwadi Party, but not the Congress – is any indication, the opposition camp is already working on a strategy for 2024.
Any such strategy, as demonstrated by the initiative at Pawar’s home, will have to address the issue of how to deal with the Congress.
