Leaders from 26 opposition parties, in power individually or in alliance in Delhi and 10 states, are meeting in Bengaluru to discuss strategy to take on the Narendra Modi-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
IMAGE: 26 Oppsition parties meet in Bengaluru, July 18, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo
Here is the list of the 26 parties:
1. Indian National Congress
The Congress is the largest party in the opposition bloc with 80 MPs (49 in Lok Sabha and 31 in Rajya Sabha). It is in power on its own in four states — Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh — and is part of the ruling dispensations in Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand.
2. All India Trinamool Congress (TMC)
The Mamata Banerjee-led party is in power in West Bengal and has 35 MPs (23 Lok Sabha and 12 Rajya Sabha). It also has legislators in a few other states, including Meghalaya.
3. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
Led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, it has influence in Tamil Nadu and in Puducherry. It has 34 MPs (24 in the Lok Sabha and 10 in the Rajya Sabha).
4. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
The Arvind Kejriwal-led party is in power in Delhi and Punjab and has 11 MPs (one in Lok Sabha and 10 in Rajya Sabha). The party has been blowing hot and cold about its relationship with the Congress, particularly at the national level.
5. Janata Dal-United
Led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who hosted the first opposition meeting in Patna, the party officially has 21 MPs (16 Lok Sabha and five Rajya Sabha). Its effective strength could vary since Kumar snapped ties with the BJP last year and joined hands with the RJD and the Congress to stay in power in Bihar.
6. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)
The party led by Lalu Prasad is part of the government in Bihar with his son Tejashwi Yadav as the deputy chief minister. It has six MPs — all in Rajya Sabha.
7. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)
The party of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren leads a coalition government in the state. It has three MPs (one in Lok Sabha and two in Rajya Sabha).
8. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — Sharad Pawar group
Founded by Sharad Pawar, NCP has suffered a split since meeting of opposition parties in Patna. The faction led by Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar has joined the Maharashtra government of the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The Sharad Pawar faction is currently part of the opposition in the state along with Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT).
9. Shiv Sena (UBT)
The Shiv Sena, founded by Balasaheb Thackeray, split in June last year with a large chunk of MLAs led by Eknath Shinde joining hands with the BJP. After the 2019 Maharashtra polls, the Shiv Sena, then led by Uddhav Thackeray, had severed its ties with the BJP and joined hands with the NCP and the Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
10. Samajwadi Party (SP)
The Samajwadi Party, led by former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, is the main opposition party in Uttar Pradesh, a state which sends the maximum members to Lok Sabha. It currently has three Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha MPs.
11. Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD)
The RLD, which primarily derives its support from western Uttar Pradesh, is led by Jayant Chaudhary, the son of party founder Ajit Singh and grandson of former prime minister Charan Singh. Jayant Chaudhary is the party’s sole MP (Rajya Sabha).
12. Apna Dal-Kamerawadi
It is the Apna Dal faction led by party founder Sonelal Patel’s wife Krishna Patel and daughter Pallavi Patel. The Kamerawadi faction is aligned with the Samajwadi Party, while the Apna Dal-Sonelal led by Union minister Anupriya Patel is part of the BJP-led NDA.
13. Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC)
Led by former chief minister Farooq Abdullah is among the key forces in Jammu and Kashmir. It currently has three Lok Sabha members.
14. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Another key player in Jammu and Kashmir, PDP is led by former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. It currently does not have any representation in Lok Sabha.
15. Communist Party of India-Marxist
The CPI-M, the principal party in the Left bloc, leads the LDF government in Kerala. It also has some influence in a few other states, including West Bengal, Tripura and Tamil Nadu. It has eight MPs (three in Lok Sabha and five in Rajya Sabha).
16. Communist Party of India (CPI)
The CPI is part of the ruling LDF in Kerala. It has two Lok Sabha members and two Rajya Sabha members.
17. Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation
The CPI-ML-Liberation is part of the ruling coalition in Bihar. Headed by Dipankar Bhattacharya, the party has 12 MLAs in the state.
18. Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP)
A part of the Left bloc, RSP has one Lok Sabha member, from Kerala. It has some support base in a few other states, including West Bengal and Tripura.
19. All India Forward Bloc
Founded by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the party is now a smaller constituent of the Left bloc. It currently does not have any representation in Parliament or any state assembly. The party does have some support in states once dominated by Left parties.
20. Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (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. Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK)
Led by Thol Thirumaavalavan, VCK is part of the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu. Thirumaavalavan is its Lok Sabha MP.
22. Kongunadu Makkal Desia Katchi (KMDK)
The KMDK, led by businessman-turned-politician E R Eswaran, is part of the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu. It enjoys some support in western Tamil Nadu. The party has a member in Lok Sabha — A K P Chinraj — but he won on the DMK symbol.
23. Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK)
The MMK is led by M H 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, which is mainly based in Kerala, has been a long-time ally of the Congress. It has three members in Lok Sabha and one in Rajya Sabha.
25. Kerala Congress-M
The party, based in Kerala, has one Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha members. It contested the 2021 assembly polls in the state as part of the CPI-M-led LDF.
26. Kerala Congress-Joseph
Based in Kerala, the party it was part of the Congress-led UDF, which is the main challenger to the CP-M-led LDF in the Kerala in the last assembly polls.
