BENGALURU Indias Opposition parties united on Wednesday — at least, symbolically on the dais — where JD(S) H D Kumaraswamy was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka.
The alliance has 78 MLAs from the Congress and 38 from the JD(S).
The Opposition parties seized the opportunity on Wednesday to put up a united show at Kumaraswamys swearing-in, to send forth the message that an anti-BJP, anti-Modi front was coming into force.
Whether this unity will translate into a poll strategy for 2019 or even formulate a Common Minimum Programme remains to be seen.
From the ground, this was the scene: Everybody smiled at each other and shook hands. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati greeted Samajawadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. The arch rivals had teamed up before the important bypolls of Gorakhpur and Phulpur to defeat the BJP, and have another important test ahead the bypoll in Kairana on May 28.
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her son, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi were seen greeting other leaders, including NCP chief Sharad Pawar who has openly said he will go with the Congress in the next Maharashtra Assembly polls.
Other prominent leaders present were relentless Modi-baiter and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI(M) chief Sitaram Yechury.
Yechury vigorously shook hand with Mamata, irrespective of the fact that his party had chosen to support the Congress in the 2016 state polls against Mamatas Trinamool and was resoundly crushed.
It is obvious that past rancour and bitterness are being firmly swept under the carpet, with one objective to defeat the BJP in 2019.
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