Modi's 'Ek Akela Kitno Pe Bhaari' claim now object of ridicule

NT Correspondent

New Delhi: The BJP is trying to revive the National Democratic alliance (NDA) knowing full well they have been hemor rhaging allies, especially after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The saffron party has found electoral dominance to be a double-edged sword. The Modi “wave” secured 282 seats in the 2014 general elections, crossing the magic number of 272.

During a session in Parliament in February 2023, PM Modi responded to the Congress by stating, "One individual is overpowering so many—'Ek Akela Kitno Pe Bhaari'."

It had scrounged up allies like TDP, Shiv Sena, Akali Dal, PMK, MDMK and smaller parties.In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Modi juggernaut captured 303 seats.

However, this time, they contested without TDP but added JD(U) and AIADMK. A lot of water has flown under the bridge since then.The BJP lost Shiv Sena in November 2019 when Uddhav Thackeray as CM formed a coalition government with Congress in Maharashtra.

In December 2022, Eknath Shinde allied with the BJP with scores of MLAs, bringing the party back to power in a coalition in the state.

Earlier this month, Ajit Pawar engineered a vertical split in the NCP and joined the same coalition as Deputy CM.

Akali Dal on the other hand had quit the NDA in September 2020 over the farm Bills being hugely unpopular in Punjab.

Unlike the UPA, NDA had to contend with a series of exits with former allies going over to the Congress led front. They also fear anti-incumbency going into the 2024 polls. BJP president JP Nadda on Monday claimed 38 parties would attend the NDA meeting on Tuesday.

“Till now 38 partners have given confirmation about their attendance,” he said. Moreover, NDA may gain JD(S) as an ally in lieu of five or six seats in old Mysuru.