NEW DELHI: Expecting a fractured mandate in the Lok Sabha elections, the opposition parties have already begun in the informal talks. Congress President Rahul Gandhi has urged his mother Sonia Gandhi to handle the task of quickly forming a post-poll alliance to rush to the Rashtrapati Bhawan to stake claim to form the government.
AICC treasurer Ahmed Patel, the most trusted man of Sonia, and Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad hae started calling up the Opposition leaders on her behalf to know their availability and accessibility in Delhi after the last round of polling on Sunday as also on May 23 on the day of counting and thereafter.
Indications are that Sonia will hold a meeting of the opposition leaders on the afternoon of May 23 to lose no time as soon as the picture starts becoming clear.
Sonia did not want to lose time in staking claim by holding a meeting of the opposition leaders on May 23 on the very day of counting, but the meeting may be held only on May 24 on the request of many opposition leaders.
Congress sources say two chief ministers — Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan and Kamal Nath of Madhya Pradesh — have been also asked to be available in Delhi to assist Patel and Azad in getting in touch with the opposition leaders with whom they have personal rapport.
It was Sonia who had taken the lead in the formation of UPA in 2004 and she is already busy in bringing all UPA allies, including the regional heavyweights and neutral players like BJD and TRS on board with a clear motive of blocking the Modi juggernaut from returning to power.
The opposition parties’ worry is that President Ram Nath Kovind, a BJP appointee, may invite Modi to form the government even if he does not get the majority and hence they all agree to hold the meeting, if possible on May 21, two days before the counting, to quickly make the claim for the first invite to form the government.
Due to her poor health, Sonia was not quite active in the elections this time, leaving the party’s campaign entirely to her children Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadhra, but sources in 10 Janpath said she is always available to the opposition leaders to have consultations on forming the new government.
