Bangalore: Leaders of 26 opposition parties in power individually or in alliance in Delhi and 10 states are meeting in Bengaluru to discuss strategy to face the Narendra Modi-led NDA alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
1. Congress
The Indian National Congress is the largest party in opposition (49 in the Lok Sabha and 31 in the Rajya Sabha) with 80 MPs. It is in power on its own in four states — Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh — and is part of the ruling alliance in Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand.
2. TMC
The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) is the ruling party in West Bengal led by Mamata Banerjee and has 35 MPs (23 in the Lok Sabha and 12 in the Rajya Sabha). It has MLAs in some other states including Meghalaya.
3. DMK
The Dravida Munnetra Kalagam (DMK), led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, is in power in Tamil Nadu and has influence in neighboring Puducherry. It has 34 MPs (24 in the Lok Sabha and 10 in the Rajya Sabha).
4. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal is in power in Delhi and Punjab and has 11 MPs (one in the Lok Sabha and 10 in the Rajya Sabha). The party has a wide range of pro-con stances on its relationship with the Congress, especially at the national level. Kejriwal’s party is opposing the Congress’s stand, mainly on the issue of the Delhi Ordinance.
5. JDU
Led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who organized the Janata Dal (United)’s first opposition meeting in Patna, the party officially has 21 MPs (16 in the Lok Sabha and five in the Rajya Sabha). Nitish Kumar’s strong presence in the opposition alliance since he broke ties with the BJP last year and joined forces with the RJD and Congress to stay in power in Bihar has led to talk that he has switched from state politics to national politics.
6. RJD
Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) party is part of the government in Bihar, with his son Tejashwi Yadav as deputy chief minister. It has six MPs, all of whom are members of the Rajya Sabha.
7. JMM
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) The party of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren is leading the coalition government in the state. It has three MPs (one in the Lok Sabha and two in the Rajya Sabha).
8. NCP
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – Sharad Pawar’s party, founded by Sharad Pawar, rebelled in NCP after a meeting of opposition parties in Patna. A faction led by Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar has joined the coalition government in support of BJP’s Maharashtra government and Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde. The Sharad Pawar faction is currently part of the opposition in the state along with the Congress and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction).
9. Shivsena Uddhav Thackeray faction
Shiv Sena (UBT) The Shiv Sena, founded by Balasaheb Thackeray, split in June last year with a large contingent of MLAs led by Eknath Shinde joining hands with the BJP. After the 2019 Maharashtra elections, the then Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena severed its ties with the BJP and joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition government.
10. Samajwadi Party (SP)
Samajwadi Party (SP) The Samajwadi Party, led by former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, is the main opposition party in Uttar Pradesh, the state that sends the maximum number of members to the Lok Sabha. Samajwadi Party currently has three Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha MPs.
11. Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD)
The RLD, which draws support from western Uttar Pradesh, is led by Jayant Chaudhary, son of party founder Ajit Singh and grandson of former prime minister Charan Singh. Jayant Chaudhary is the only MP (Rajya Sabha) of this party.
12. Apna Dal
Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) is a faction led by party founder Sonelal Patel’s wife Krishna Patel and daughter Pallavi Patel, while the Kamerawadi faction is aligned with the Samajwadi Party, while Union Minister Anupriya Patel-led Apna Dal (Sonelal) is part of the BJP-led NDA alliance.
13. National Conference (NC)
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) led by former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah is one of the major political forces in Jammu and Kashmir. It currently has three Lok Sabha members.
14. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is another major political party in Jammu and Kashmir, PDP is led by former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. It currently has no representation in the Lok Sabha. But in the previous election, the same PDP formed the government with the BJP alliance and now it is standing against the NDA alliance in the political development that has changed.
15. CPIM
Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M), the main left wing party, is leading the LDF government in Kerala. It has some influence in some other states including West Bengal, Tripura and Tamil Nadu. It has eight MPs (three in the Lok Sabha and five in the Rajya Sabha).
16. CPI
The Communist Party of India (CPI) is part of the ruling LDF in Kerala. It has two Lok Sabha members and two Rajya Sabha members.
17. CPI (ML)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation CPI-ML (Liberation) is part of the ruling coalition in Bihar. Dipankar Bhattacharya-led party has 12 MLAs in the state.
18. Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP)
Revolutionary Samajwadi Party (RSP) A wing of the Left parties, the RSP has one Lok Sabha member from Kerala. It has some support base in some other states including West Bengal and Tripura.
19. All India Forward Block
The All India Forward Bloc, founded by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, is now a minor unit of the Left Bloc. It currently has no representation in Parliament or any state assembly. The party has little support in states once dominated by the Left.
20. MDMK
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kalagam (MDMK) The MDMK led by Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko is a part of the DMK-led coalition in Tamil Nadu. It has a support base in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
21. Thole headed by Vidutalai Chirutaigal Katchi (VCK). Thirumavalavan, VK is part of the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu. Thirumavalavan is its Lok Sabha MP.
22. Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (KMDK) The KMDK, led by businessman-politician ER Eswaran, is part of the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu. It has some support in western Tamil Nadu. The party has one member in the Lok Sabha namely AKP Chinraj. But he won on the DMK symbol.
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The MMKU is led by MH Jawahirullah and is part of the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu. Jawahirullah is currently an MLA and also serves as a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB).
24. Indian Union Muslim League (IUML)
The IUML, based mainly in Kerala, is a long-time ally of the Congress. It has three members in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha.
25. Kerala Congress (M)
Based in Kerala, the party has one Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha member. It contested the 2021 assembly elections in the state as part of the CPI(M)-led LDF.
26. Kerala Congress (Joseph)
The Kerala Congress (Joseph), based in Kerala, was part of the Congress-led UDF, which was the main challenger to the CPI(M)-led LDF in Kerala in the last assembly elections.
