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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has voiced strong optimism about the INDIA bloc's prospects in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, asserting that the coalition will prevail over the BJP. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Kharge suggested that the BJP's significant victories in the 2014 and 2019 elections—where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party secured 282 and 303 seats respectively, and 336 and 353 seats with allies—indicate a saturation point in voter support.
Kharge highlighted the BJP's unfulfilled promises over the past decade, particularly concerning unemployment and inflation, as key factors that could work against the ruling party. He emphasized the necessity of removing the BJP to "strengthen democracy and save the Constitution."
As of the completion of the fifth phase of the seven-phase election, Kharge pointed out that the INDIA bloc is leading. He attributed this lead to public discontent with Modi's administration, citing persistent issues like high living costs and joblessness as major concerns among voters.
Formed in June last year, the INDIA bloc aims to unite opposition parties to mount a concerted challenge against Modi and the BJP. The coalition includes prominent parties such as the AAP, Tamil Nadu's DMK, the Samajwadi Party, and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena faction. Despite some seat-sharing disagreements resulting in 'friendly contests' against parties like the Trinamool Congress in Bengal and the CPIM in Kerala, the bloc has fielded common candidates in the majority of seats.
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Kharge outlined two primary objectives for the opposition: maintaining and expanding their advantage in the southern states, and reducing the BJP's dominance in the Hindi heartland. The southern states, which collectively send 130 MPs to the Lok Sabha, have already completed voting. In the 2019 elections, the BJP was largely defeated in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh, while securing a strong performance in Karnataka. The opposition aims to achieve even better results this time.
In the Hindi heartland, the BJP won 204 of 226 seats across 10 states in 2019, an increase from 191 seats in 2014. Kharge stressed the importance of cutting into the BJP's substantial lead in these regions to secure a victory in the upcoming election.
