A day after BJP's loss in Karnataka elections, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja on Sunday met NCP preꦑsident Sharad Pawar at his residence in Mumbai and discussed providing an alternative to BJP. Pawar hailed Congress'♚s victory and said that the Karnataka story is proof that the unity of like-minded parties in other states could lead to BJP’s defeat.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Pawa﷽r indicated that the Karnataka template needs to be implemented in other states, and for that, like-minded parties will have to work on a common minimum programme (CMP).
“The Karnataka assembly elections have given a message. We need to work on creating a situation like Karnataka in other states. The Congress alone gave an alternative to the BJP in Karnataka, but in other states, like-minded parties will have to work on a common minimum program꧙me (CMP),” the NCP chief said.
We will work on both fronts (ofಌ creating a strategy like Karnataka and the CMP) and we are starting this process, he added. Raja spoke about a common understanding to defeat the BJP.
"Th⛎e state-level strategy can be worked out. We may find some time to interact in Delhi now. The BJP can be defeated and it wilꦺl lose the 2024 parliamentary as well as state (Maharashtra) elections. The myth of the party being invincible has been broken,” he said referring to the Karnataka poll outcome.
In Karnataka, th𒆙e Congress won 135 seats out of 224, while the ruling BJP and the former prime minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal ꧟(Secular) secured 66 and 19 seats, respectively.
Following the results, Pawar als♌o tweeted, “Peopl✃e have rejected 'Modi hai to mumkin hai.”
(With inputs from PTI)
