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The recently concluded Indian general elections have thrown up a hung Parliament, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) falling short of a majority by 60 seats.
In this scenario, the Congress-led INDIA alliance, which has emerged as the second-largest bloc, is exploring the possibility of forming a government with the support of regional parties such as the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal United (JDU).
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have said that a call on reaching out to the TDP and the JDU will be taken by the opposition alliance at a meeting tomorrow.
When asked about the possibility of forming a government with the support of the TDP and the JDU, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge dropped a hint about 'new partners' joining the alliance.
Speaking in Hindi, Mr. Kharge said, 'Until we talk to our alliance partners... and the new partners that could join us about how we could work together and get a majority, we will see. If I reveal all our strategies now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will become wary ('hoshiyar ho jayenge').'
There have been reports of people from the INDIA camp, especially Sharad Pawar, having reached out to TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and JDU leader Nitish Kumar this afternoon, but the NCP leader has refuted them.
The TDP-BJP alliance was firmed up just before the elections and, even before counting began, experts had speculated that Mr. Naidu could switch sides if he saw more benefits with the INDIA bloc. The TDP was part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in 2019.
Nitish Kumar's association with the Congress is even more recent and he had played a pivotal role in the creation of the INDIA bloc, before joining the NDA once again in January. The Bihar chief minister had also snapped ties with the BJP ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections because the party had declared Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate.
It remains to be seen whether the Congress-led INDIA alliance will be able to cobble together a majority with the support of regional parties. If it does, it will be a major setback for the BJP, which has been in power since 2014.
However, if the NDA manages to win over some of the regional parties that are currently supporting the INDIA alliance, it could still form the government. The next few days will be crucial in determining who will form the next government at the Centre.
Source: On Government Formation Question, Mallikarjun Kharge's "New Partners" Hint