NDA’s 38 vs Opposition’s 26: How both sides are flexing political muscle ahead of 2024

Bengaluru and Delhi. The two cities, one in the north and the other in the south, will be the focus of one and all, as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance and a slew of opposition parties will both flex their numbers at meetings called by both sides.

Today (18 July) may set the narrative for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections; it is already generating enough buzz and leaders on both sides are attacking one another, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress saying that the BJP has been rattled by their unity. The BJP, on the other hand, termed the Opposition’s two-day conclave in Bengaluru as “hollow, based on selfishness, with neither leader nor good intentions.”

As we gear up for a politically charged day, here’s a closer look at how the two stack up against one another. From numbers to agenda, here’s what to expect at the two meetings happening at two ends of the country.

The NDA meet

Today, the BJP will lead a NDA meeting at New Delhi’s Ashoka Hotel. According to invitations sent out, the meeting will be held from 5 pm onwards in the presence of Prime Minister Modi.

Ahead of the meeting, BJP president JP Nadda said on Monday that 38 parties will attend the event. “The growing desire of the people to push the agenda of development has led to the expansion of the NDA… Good governance given in the last nine years under the leadership of Modi-ji… It is a continuous process,” he told reporters.

Attacking the Opposition, Nadda said, “The NDA is an alliance to strengthen and unite the country and to take the nation forward,” adding, “It (the Opposition alliance) is a ‘bhanumati ka kunba’ (motley group), an opportunistic alliance. It has no agenda, commitment and vision. Their only aim is to grab power and serve their own interests.”

But which are the 38 parties that will be in attendance today? Chirag Paswan, the son of late Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan and the head of the Lok Janshakti Party, is the latest entrant into the NDA family.

On Monday, just hours before Nadda’s announcement, Paswan joined the BJP-led alliance. Interestingly, it was Paswan who had walked out of the NDA last year ahead of the state elections in Bihar owing to disagreements with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Paswan Jr suffered great losses in the polls and was completely isolated while his uncle, Pashupati Paras – who has the support of four MPs, remained with the NDA.

Another prominent name to attend the BJP-led meet today will be Om Prakash Rajbhar, the founder and president of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP). He makes his return to the NDA after walking away from the saffron alliance four years ago. Analysts say that Rajbhar’s entry into the NDA is not only an indication of the importance of caste in the state of Uttar Pradesh but also gives them a boost in eastern UP in the Lok Sabha elections.

Newly-broken away from his uncle, Nationalist Congress Party’s Ajit Pawar is also expected at the BJP meet today along with Praful Patel. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena is also expected to attend the event today.

Other names that will in all probability be at the meeting today are – Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, Sanjay Nishad’s Nishad Party (all from Bihar), Anupriya Patel-led Apna Dal (Sonelal), JJP from Haryana, Pawan Kalyan-led Janasena from Andhra Pradesh, AIADMK, Tamil Maanila Congress and Indiya Makkal Kalvi Munnetra Kazhagam (all from Tamil Nadu), All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) from Jharkhand, Conrad Sangma’s NCP from Meghalaya, NDPP from Nagaland, SKF from Sikkim, Zoramthanga’s Mizo National Front, and the AGP from Assam.

It’s important to note here that the N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party is missing from the NDA guest list. Experts believe that the BJP’s good working relationship with Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP is the reason for the distance between the two former allies.

Similarly, the Badal-helmed Shiromani Akali Dal will also not be in attendance at the meeting. Despite discussions, the differences between the estranged allies haven’t been resolved.

When asked about them, BJP chief Nadda said it is up to them and claimed that the decision to leave the alliance with his party was theirs and the party never asked them to go.

Opposition’s mega Bengaluru meet

While the NDA meet will take place today at 5 pm, the Opposition began its second meet on Monday in Bengaluru. Big names such as Sonia Gandhi from the Congress, Arvind Kejriwal from the AAP, Mamata Banerjee from the TMC and Nitish Kumar from the JD(U) all congregated to chalk out their strategy against the BJP in 2024.

The 26 parties on Tuesday will, according to a PTI report, finalise the name of their alliance, issue a joint declaration and finalise a committee for the functioning of the grouping. Discussions on state-wise seat-sharing and ironing out differences among regional outfits are on the agenda, they said, adding the issue of Manipur was discussed and the need for sending an all-party delegation to the violence-hit state stressed upon.

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar was absent from the meet on Monday, but sources told multiple news outlets that he would be present today along with his daughter Supriya Sule. His absence has been a worrying sign, but Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge stated, “I called him up to say that it is important for him to come… He said he is coming on 18 July morning, there is no concern about that.”

Following the informal dinner on Monday, Mamata Banerjee also remarked, “It was a good meeting.”

The Opposition, it is learnt, has decided to rename the grouping and each party has been asked to suggest a name, preferably with the world India in it. The tag line of the grouping is ‘United we stand’.

Multiple reports, citing sources, also said that the meeting today will focus on drawing up a Common Minimum Programme and that the subject of states should be kept separate.

At the meeting, Opposition leaders also took jibes at the BJP and their meeting in New Delhi, with TMC leader Derek O’Brien saying political parties at the Bengaluru meeting “were clearly setting the narrative” while the “BJP is reacting”. He claimed that out of the NDA allies, eight do not have a single MP, nine have one MP each and three have two MPs each.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also stated that attempts were being made to breathe new life into the NDA “which had become a ghost”. The Grand Old Party further added that their meeting was setting the narrative and would be a “game changer” for the Indian political scenario.

It is now left to be seen whose meeting creates more waves. Moreover, will the ‘united’ Opposition be able to take on the mighty BJP-led NDA next year at the polls?

With inputs from agencies