Political confabulations for government formation intensified a day before polling in the seventh and final phase for 59 Lok Sabha seats in seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh comes to an end on Sunday, pulling the curtain on a high decible and acrimonious election season.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday went a spiritual trip to Kedarnath, exuding confidence the previous evening that he would retain power as his Bharatiya Janata Party would win a full majority on its own.
But equally optimistic is the opposition which believes that it has checkmated Modi in his campaign. The prime minister’s one time ally and now a vitriolic critic, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party Chief N Candrababu Naidu stepped up efforts to firm up a joint anti-BJP front to steer the next government.
He met Congress President Rahul Gandhi, CPI leaders G Sudhakar Reddy and D Raja, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and LJD leader Sharad Yadav in the national capital before seeing Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow.
He also called on Bahujan Samajwadi Party chief Mayawati.
“The campaigning of this Lok Sabha Election 2019 has ended and as we await the last phase of polling, Andhra Pradesh CM Shri N Chandrababu Naidu paid me a visit to discuss the on going and future political scenario of our country,” tweeted Pawar.
Naidu earlier had discussions with West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.
Of all the constituencies going to the polls in this last phase of election, the focus has centred around UP and West Bengal where the BJP is fighting to retain hold in the first and seeking to make gains in the second.
Five years ago, the BJP and ally Apna Dal had won all the 13 seats that are going to polls in UP on Sunday. But this time the “Mahagathbandhan” of SP, BSP and RLD is seen to be posing a stiff challenge to BJP.
The opposition effort signified this bit of reality as reports suggest that the SP-BSP alliance has been able to make deep inroads into what has been the BJP’s fort in the state.
In West Bengal, which has been in the news because of the political violence, all the nine seats going to polls were won by the Trinamool in 2014. This time the BJP is looking to make up for potential losses elsewhere.
The BJP’s high octane campaign in the state has forced the TMC supremo to do some rear guard action.
It is not known how the recent incident in which a statue of social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was vandalised would swing the actual voting. The chief minister has tried to rally sub-regional sentiment by blaming BJP supporters for the destruction. (UNI)
Opposition ups coalition building as election enters last lap
