Lok Sabha polls 2019: Mamata Banerjee's dominance, Mayawati's reluctance is advantage BJP

In the run-up to Lok Sabha elections 2019, two women had a powerful influence on matters related to opposition's strategy to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.

The key interlocutor of opposition - Mamata Banerjee is considered to be the prime reason behind Congress president Rahul Gandhi not being declared the prime ministerial candidate of the united opposition despite approvals from several leaders. The friction between Banerjee and Gandhi scion is quite evident, she recently called Rahul a 'kid' while responding to his attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Didi doesn't mince a word while attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well. She is one of the most vocal members of the opposition who claims West Bengal will lead in throwing Narendra Modi government out and forming the new government at the Centre. She ran pillar and post to unite all like-minded parties against BJP.

Mayawati too has emerged as a strong Congress-opposer. When Congress approached SP and BSP for forging an alliance in Uttar Pradesh, unhappy with the seat-sharing ratio suggested by Congress, Mayawati outrightly rejected the offer.

There were still some chances of understanding between the SP-BSP-RJD alliance and the Congress when the latter said it was ready to leave 7 Lok Sabha seats vacant for the alliance, however, this couldn't happen due to Mayawati's defiance.

In a joint rally on Sunday, Mayawati trained her guns towards Congress and said the party was dividing votes on the basis of caste and religion. She cautioned voters against any such attempt and asked them to give all their votes to the SP, BSP and RJD alliance.

Other opposition members are worried that this three-cornered contest will divide the votes in UP and help the BJP. UP is a politically crucial state which has the highest number of Lok Sabha seats in the country - 80. In such a scenario, Mayawati's decision to not tie-up with Congress could prove costly to the alliance.

Meanwhile, on the national front - setting aside three decades of rivalry - even Chandrababu Naidu dropped his 'non-Congress Third Front' plank and approached Congress president Rahul Gandhi. He stressed on the need for opposition unity to save the nation. DMK chief M K Stalin too endorsed Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the 'Mahagathbandhan', but Didi remainedadamant.

Going by her and ignoring Congress, which did exceptionally well in the recently-concluded Assembly elections under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, isn't mature.

For 'Mahagathbandhan', leadership has become a divisive issue. The opposition parties need to reach a broader understanding and declare the grouping's PM face. Political analysts say that not having a credible face pitted against PM Narendra Modi would impact voters' decision during the polling. Electorates are curious and have the right to know who will lead the country if 'Mahagathbandhan' comes topower.

The resistanceof Mamata and Mayawati is a big setback to the entire calculation for forming an anti-BJP coalition and the prospects of 'Mahagathbandhan' - both on state and national level.

Alliances need sacrifices, however, they have shown reluctance to have an understanding with Congress - the main opposition party. Mamata and Mayawati have no desire to become Gandhi’s minority partners. They want to be in the driver's seat themselves.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)