INDIA bloc pulling Modi-led BJP below halfway mark, setting country on course for coalition govt
New Delhi: It was an experiment that was set in motion last June, in a hot and humid Patna, with Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar playing the gracious host.Leaders of 17 opposition parties had huddled at the residence of Kumar, initiating the process of forming the pre-poll Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), essentially a rebranded United Progressive Alliance (UPA) that had practically ceased to exist after the decimation of the Congress in the 2014 general elections.
The objective, as spelt out in the press conference after the inaugural meeting, was to come together in “national interest”, and defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party by sharing seats to prevent the split of opposition’s vote banks. The summit had ended with the promise ...