This Article is From Apr 01, 2024

Opinion | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: A Tale Of 'Friendly Contests'

Latest and Breaking News on NDTV

With only days to go before the commencement of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, it seems increasingly likely that many alliance partners will field candidates against each other.

In West Bengal, for example, the INDIA bloc, presumed to be intact elsewhere, has disintegrated completely. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) has put forth candidates in all 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Banerjee has boldly challenged the Congress stronghold of Baharampur, currently represented by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, by nominating former cricketer Yusuf Pathan. This strategic move is believed to be calculated, considering the significant Muslim population in the area.

Even the anti-TMC, anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) front comprising the Congress, the Left parties, and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) is currently negotiating to avoid "friendly contests" in some constituencies.

Bihar's Mahagathbandhan; INDIA In Kerala 

In neighbouring Bihar, the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress, and the Left are engaged in last-minute discussions to avert a similar situation. Their coalition in the 2020 assembly elections proved fruitful, except for the Congress, which fared poorly. The Grand Alliance, consisting of various parties, including the RJD, the Congress, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), and the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (CPI-ML), saw significant success, particularly for the Left parties, which won 16 out of 29 contested seats. This performance gives them a rationale to vie for more seats in the upcoming elections.

In the South, INDIA bloc partners in Kerala are targeting two crucial Lok Sabha seats traditionally held by the Congress. Even before the Congress renominated Rahul Gandhi, the CPI had announced Annie Raja, a prominent leader and member of its national executive, as its candidate from the Wayanad constituency. Similarly, the Left alliance has nominated Pannan Raveendran to challenge Congress candidate Shashi Tharoor, a three-time MP, in Thiruvananthapuram. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar is the BJP's candidate from the same constituency. Additionally, the Congress has fielded party general secretary K.C. Venugopal against sitting CPI(M) parliamentarian A.M. Arif from Alappuzha, aiming to regain lost ground in the region.

Overall, as the electoral landscape evolves and alliances shift, the dynamics of friendly contests and strategic manoeuvres continue to shape the political landscape across India.

There are too many occurrences of friendly contests across states. Jharkhand has proved to be no exception. Here, the CPI has severed ties with the INDIA Alliance, stating its intention to contest eight out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats. Notably, the CPI does not hold a single seat in the Lok Sabha from the state.

A Contest In Haryana 37 Years Ago

The earliest instance of such a friendly contest can be traced back 37 years ago in Haryana. According to journalist and author Anil Maheshwari, Devi Lal orchestrated an alliance of all opposition parties to challenge the then incumbent Congress government led by Bansi Lal, allotting one seat each to the CPI and the CPI(M) out of the state's 90 seats.

"The Lok Dal of Devi Lal and the BJP were the dominant partners. It was for the first and the last time that the communist parties marked their presence in the Haryana Legislative Assembly. There was a conflict between the BJP and the CPI(M) over the Fatehabad seat in Hissar, with both staking their claim to it. Devi Lal came up with a solution, and, describing it as a 'friendly contest', asked both the parties to contest. But he would not allow the alliance - that was arrived at after a lot of adjustments and compromises - to fall apart on account of one seat. The result was that the coalition bagged 85 out of 90 seats," he writes in The Power of the Ballot: Travail and Triumph in the Elections, co-authored with Vipul Maheswari.

Interestingly, Balbir Singh Choudhary of the BJP defeated Prithvi Singh Gorkhpuria of the CPI(M) by 28,615 votes in the 'friendly contest' in 1987 in the Fatehabad constituency. 

Similar Equations

The election outcome not only marked a personal victory for Devi Lal but also dealt a blow to the Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress. Subsequently, several opposition leaders called for his resignation, while the Congress high command blamed the party apparatus for the defeat. This discord within the Congress led to calls for party elections to appoint a full-time president dedicated solely to running the organisation, without the added responsibility of leading the nation as prime minister. Meanwhile, following his last term as Chief Minister, Devi Lal transitioned to central politics.

While the players may have changed, the equations remain, and countering the might and strategy of today's BJP may prove challenging. With more "friendly contests" today, things are increasingly likely to favour Modi.

(Jayanta Bhattacharya is a senior journalist writing on polls and politics, conflict, farmer and human interest issues)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

.
seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com