In an exclusive interview to The Quint, former Union Minister P Chidambaram said that the work has started for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in 2021. He suggested that if Opposition unity consolidates then they can have a one-on-one fight with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in at least 400 seats.
Here are some excerpts from the interview:
Can the Opposition manage to have a one-on-one fight against the BJP in 2024?
Ultimately, the Opposition unity has to translate to fielding one candidate in every seat against the BJP. That's all what matters. If the BJP's allies stands on that seat, we will have to field one candidate against the ally candidate. I don't know how many will be BJP allies in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. It's not very difficult for all the parties to agree on one candidate in the upcoming state Assembly elections of Punjab, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, and Uttarakhand.
Even if NCP is not present in, say, Uttarakhand, then NCP flag should be part of the alliance, according to me. If that message goes and you field one candidate against BJP candidates, then the results can be quite interesting.
Straight fights are possible in many states but how will the Opposition manage to hold one-on-one in states where things are tricky, like in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, etc?
Please remember that in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana, the ruling parties are post-election supporters of the BJP government at the Centre. When it comes to elections in their respective states, they will fight the BJP. Naveen Patnaik, KCR, Jaganmohan Reddy will fight the BJP in every seat in their respective states.
Are you saying that in these states the Congress will allow BJD, TRS and YSRCP respectively, to take on the BJP and won't contest the polls itself?
No. I said, these so-called allies of the BJP are allies only outside the election. In an election, they are not allies, they are bitter rivals.
Now, say for example, if KCR joins Opposition unity, then obviously he will take the lead in fighting BJP. But if he doesn't join the Opposition alliance, then we will also fight in Telangana. What results we will get is a different matter.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)