The opposition’s Patna declaration of last month is now more than merely exploratory. Swapping Shimla for Bengaluru as the venue for its second big event, the two-day meeting of 26 parties in Karnataka ended with the announcement of a national alliance. It named itself INDIA, following the acronym-fixated style of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led coalition currently in power.
INDIA stands for Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance. Its verbosity doesn’t come in the way of its catchy symbolism. But this is, as the Congress and other attending parties know, only the first step towards the hard grind of firming up an effective coalition for the 2024 Lok Sabha poll.
