Opposition Meet: Will Problems with Cong Back Home Overshadow Bengal CM Mamata’s ‘United Front’ Cause?

Opposition leaders are in Patna for a crucial meeting on Friday to discuss the prospects of putting up a joint fight in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee reached Patna late on Thursday. Her Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar received the two, following which Mamata said: “The opposition will fight like a collective family… Everyone will come together to save the country from disaster.”

Mamata and Abhishek also met former CMs Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi as well as deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav at their residence. According to sources, a likely discussion during the meeting will be the main opposition candidate who will be the face against the BJP in next year’s general elections.

All eyes will be on Mamata due to her differences with the Congress back home, so what will she be bringing to the table at the all-important opposition meeting?

Party insiders said come what may, Mamata will be vocal about putting up a united fight. She might suggest that people should at least perceive a united opposition front so that they have the confidence to vote for them.

Mamata has always held a firm theory and might put it before the opposition leaders, that whichever party is strong in their home state should directly take on the BJP and other opposition parties should support that. She has earlier given the example of Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. She has said the TMC will fight the BJP in her state and Akhilesh Yadav will fight the saffron camp in UP. She mentioned the Samajwadi Party chief’s name and said his was the most powerful opposition. But the Congress might turn out to be an obstacle when it comes to this theory in Bengal.

Sources said the grand old party will want to field a candidate everywhere and this is the point where it will be difficult for Mamata, Akhilesh and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to adjust. How this point of conflict will be handled, remains to be seen. Mamata earlier had said the Congress is a big party and will obviously contest a lot of seats against the BJP. But, at the same time, it is also clear that at a local level, Mamata is unlikely to make adjustments for the Congress.

Mamata might suggest that there should be no discussion on who will be the prime ministerial candidate. She may say common issues being faced by people should be the face of the opposition and that is how the campaign should be planned.