Highly placed sources within the Opposition have told The Quint that a post poll pre-result alliance of Opposition parties will send letters of support to President Kovind late 22 May or early 23 May (counting day), voicing their support and stating that they have formed a unified alliance.
This unified alliance will also stake a claim to form the government, which means that, in the event that the NDA fails to get a majority, President Kovind will be expected to call the newly formed Opposition alliance first to prove their majority.
But an alliance? Is that possible at this point? Sources have confirmed to The Quint that this is, in fact, what will happen, and well before the results are declared.
All the parties that are anti-BJP NDA, but not a part of the UPA, will give their letters of support to the President before the results come out. What does this do?
Well it creates a clear basis for the demand that President Kovind should call them first to stake claim to form the government, if the NDA fails to bag a majority.
We’ve heard of pre-poll alliances, when parties announce that they will be contesting an election as a coalition, well before the polls begin.
And we’ve heard of a post poll alliance, where after the election results are declared parties who don’t individually hold a majority decide to put aside their differences and come together to form a coalition and prove a majority, in order to form the government.
But won’t the Opposition have a very tight, small window of time to make this move?
Not really, just last week, The Quint had interviewed Congress President Rahul Gandhi, and had asked him the exact same question. Here’s how he responded.
“We don’t have a limited window. The window will be defined by what the people say.”Rahul Gandhi, Congress President
But what’s a post poll pre-result alliance?
The idea, which was apparently conceptualised by Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, was done to unite all the Opposition parties which were anti-BJP, under one umbrella, sources added.
Sources also told The Quint that the task of creating this idea was given to Singhvi by Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Ahmed Patel, Randeep Surjewala and Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
So, what does all this mean?
Well, in simple terms, this means that the Opposition parties have formed a new alliance, and will stake a claim to form the government, and that President Kovind will be expected to heed their demand first if the NDA fails to bag a majority.
So, now that the Opposition has made it clear that they’re taking the fight to the President themselves, and with what looks like a newly formed alliance ready to challenge the BJP-led NDA, what will President Kovind do, once this newly formed alliance stakes their claim to form the government?
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