Technocrat and senior Congress leader, Sam Pitroda, has called for opposition parties to put aside their personal interests and make sacrifices for the success of opposition unity ahead of the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In an interview, Pitroda emphasised the importance of a united opposition for the Lok Sabha elections and stressed that it is necessary for parties to present a united candidate in order to avoid vote splitting. Pitroda urged opposition parties to prioritize the nation’s interest over their own, warning that the alliance would not succeed if they become too focused on their personal interests.
The senior Congress leader’s comments come ahead of the first opposition meeting scheduled for Patna. The meeting aims to strategize for the general elections and is expected to include several high-profile opposition leaders. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge initiated the discussions to bring opposition parties together. Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar, took the initiative and met with Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in April along with his deputy, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
Pitroda, who has worked closely with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and former Congress Presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, highlighted the importance of unity for the success of the United Progressive Alliance-3 (UPA-3), stating that parties needed to focus on nation-building. The senior Congress leader emphasised that if there was a vacuum in democracy, then a concerted effort was required by like-minded people with common goals to restore and strengthen democracy in India.
We all have realized that this alliance is important for 2024 Lok Sabha. If all the parties come together and put a united candidate, the 60 per cent of the remaining vote will not get split, Pitroda said. So it’s a good idea to have an alliance, but the question is how successful they will be in coming together and putting up one candidate, a united candidate against the BJP.
Pitroda’s calls for opposition unity reflect the ongoing efforts by opposition parties to challenge the dominant BJP in the upcoming elections. It remains to be seen whether these parties can put aside their differences and unite for the common good.
