The Pulse

Can a ‘Federal Front’ Help Take Down India’s Modi?

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The Pulse

Can a ‘Federal Front’ Help Take Down India’s Modi?

Regional heavyweights are gearing up to try and launch national political careers in next year’s elections.

Can a ‘Federal Front’ Help Take Down India’s Modi?
Credit: Flickr/ Richter Frank-Jurgen

A number of India’s regional leaders have been pitching for a “Federal Front” or a coalition of regional parties as an alternative to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the current ruling party. While this idea has been pitched before in the past, the idea was first mooted for 2019 elections in March 2018. While some of these regional leaders have spoken about complete opposition unity and have expressed willingness to go with the opposition party, the Indian National Congress, some have given the impression that they would like to be equidistant from both major national parties.

One of the leaders who has been vociferously pitching for such a Federal Front is West Bengal’s Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee. She has also been in constant touch with other regional leaders; she met with the chief minister of Telangana, K. Chandrashekar Rao (also referred to as KCR), in March 2018 to discuss the idea of a “Federal Front.”

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