Amid talks of regional parties emerging as strong Opposition to the BJP at a national level, the newly-appointed Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has dismissed such a possibility, saying the parties cannot come together because they compete against each other.
"Bengal and Bihar cannot come together, Bengal and Assam cannot come together and even if you do, there will be conflict and faultlines," he told The Indian Express
Several regional parties, like the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and the Trinamool in Bengal, have voiced confidence in raising a nationwide alliance against the BJP in Lok Sabha polls. Earlier in the week, a three-hour-long meeting between NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and political strategist Prashant Kishor sparked speculations in political circles. A spokesperson for the Shiv Sena, after the meeting, said there is a need to have a "wider alliance" of political parties against the ruling BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Also Read | Wider alliance of anti-BJP parties necessary: NCP leader Nawab Malik after Pawar-Kishor meet
Thumping victories by the DMK and TMC, parties helped by Kishor, at the state levels have also threatened BJP's might at the polls. Earlier in the week, Mukul Roy returned to TMC after a stint at the BJP, sparking fears of a bigger exodus of BJP leaders to the Trinamool camp.
Modi government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the earlier vaccine policy, which was largely seen as the states being left to fend for themselves, pit the regional parties against the BJP.
However, Sarma says the coming together of the regional players does not affect the might of BJP at the Centre. "You will see the rise of a leader here and there but when you come to the bigger national picture, the people of India will always vote for a party that will safeguard the integrity and sovereignty of the nation," he told the publication.
He also claimed that Modi's biggest achievement was liberals contending that the Congress is no longer an alternative, regional parties are. "So I think we agree that Congress-mukt Bharat is a reality and people have now started talking about the coming together of regional political parties," he said.
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