Who Will Bell Modi In 2019?

With Congress becoming increasingly incapable of posing a challenge to Modi, regional leaders are likely to lead the charge to recapture Delhi in 2019.

- Soni Mishra

The swearing-in ceremony of Mamata Banerjee on May 27 as chief minister of West Bengal for a second time, in her own words, was a “political get-together”. An elated Mamata was joined on the occasion by leaders of various political parties, and they included key regional players—from Nitish Kumar to Akhilesh Yadav to Arvind Kejriwal to Farooq Abdullah. The political significance of the occasion was not lost on anyone.

In this victory celebration of 2016 lay signs of what could be expected in 2019. The makings of a federal front to take on Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections were visible. Nitish, with whom Mamata shares a great rapport, must be hoping to get her on board for the 'grand alliance' that he has proposed. He was among the first to congratulate Mamata, expressing hope that she and Kejriwal would join forces with him to protect federalism.

The occasion must have reminded Modi of the challenges that he would have to face in the form of regional satraps. If it was Nitish who had earlier staked claim to be his main challenger, now, Mamata, emboldened by her resounding victory, could be more vocal on issues of national importance, both inside and outside Parliament.

The secular space in Indian polity is abuzz with talks of a federal front.

The moth-balled concept of a non- Congress, non-BJP front has been brought out and dusted. With the status of the Congress as the principal opposition force being threatened on account of its repeated electoral setbacks, its shrinking national presence and the absence of a viable revival plan, regional players are expected to vie for pole position as Modi’s principal challengers. They are likely to play a bigger role in national politics and could be the driving force behind such an alliance rather than the Congress putting it together.