SONIA CALLS FOR A BROADBASED ALLIANCE TO WIN 2019 ELECTIONS
NEW DELHI: Congress parliamentary party (CPP) chief Sonia Gandhi on Thursday called for a broad-based alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha election to ensure the BJP was defeated and “India restored to a democratic, inclusive, secular, tolerant and economically progressive” path.
Addressing a CPP meeting, Gandhi said change is coming as evident in her party’s performance in Gujarat and the recent by-elections in Rajasthan.
“I will work with the Congress president and other colleagues in discussions with like-minded parties to ensure that in the next election the BJP is defeated and India is restored to a democratic, inclusive, secular, tolerant and economically progressive path,” she said, also putting to rest buzz about her retirement.
Her remarks came days after she appealed to opposition parties to build a consensus at the national level and bury differences to put up a united front.
Political analysts are of the view that there is a growing realisation within the opposition parties that the BJP will regain power in 2019 if they don’t form a grand alliance.
“This is the need of the hour. The Congress realises it and regional parties also know this, but for it (ti happen) they have to keep their egos aside. It is also a reality that if they don’t come together, the BJP will come back to power,” said Sanjay Kumar of the Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.