If Not Modi Then Who?

Despite the Narendra Modi government being at its weakest point, the opposition has many a challenge to surmount before it can come up with a strong counter to the prime minister and the BJP

- Soni Mishra

As 2021 draws to a close, the Narendra Modi government is perhaps at its most defensive, after having been forced to repeal the three contentious farm laws. The move is perhaps the biggest about-turn by Modi, who has built for himself the image of a strong and decisive leader. And this has happened when other issues such as price rise, unemployment and the impact of Covid-19 on the lives and livelihood of the people are becoming common topics in public discourse.

It is also a time when the talk of opposition unity has become more fervent. Already, various permutations and combinations are being discussed for getting the anti-BJP bloc together for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. However, despite the ruling dispensation being at its weakest point, Modi and the BJP, as of now, find no reason to be too alarmed. The opposition’s attempts, be it in terms of providing an alternative governance model or a leadership option, have failed to cause Modi any serious concern.

The basic premise of the talk of getting anti-BJP parties together is that in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the saffron party won 303 seats and had 37 per cent vote share. It is argued that the opposition, with its 63 per cent vote share, represents a wider section of the population, and if these parties come together, they obviously will have a bigger support base than the BJP. To ensure that this vote share does not get divided, an ideal situation would be that there are one-on-one fights against the BJP and its allies. However, the catch lies in the near impossibility of getting the disparate forces and individual egos that constitute the 63 per cent vote share together.