Opposition parties that directly or indirectly supported the BJP to derail the idea of a united Opposition have damaged their own credibility, former Rajasthan Governor and Opposition's joint candidate in the Vice-Presidential (V-P) election, Margaret Alva, said on Saturday.
In a series of tweets after the elections were declared, Ms. Alva congratulated her rival and VP-elect, Jagdeep Dhankar and thanked all the parties that supported her.
"This election was an opportunity for the opposition to work together, to leave the past behind & build trust amongst each other. Unfortunately, some opposition parties chose to directly or indirectly support the BJP, in an attempt to derail the idea of a united opposition. It is my belief that by doing so, these parties and their leaders have damaged their own credibility," Ms. Alva said.
Though Ms. Alva didn't name any Opposition party or its leader, it was clear that the reference was about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who sprang a surprise by announcing that the Trinamool Congress would be abstaining from voting.
Given Trinamool’s history of confrontation with Mr. Dhankar as the former Governor of West Bengal, Trinamool’s move to abstain wasn’t just a setback but also took away 36 votes (23 Lok Sabha and 13 Rajya Sabha members).
".@alva_margaret ran a spirited campaign and it was too bad the TMC didn’t support her. India will have to wait for its first woman Vice President," Congress communication chief Jairam Ramesh tweeted, adding, "Incidentally, it was my ministerial duty to accompany Aung San Suu Kyi to meet with her friend Margaret Alva in Bengaluru in Nov 2012".
Undeterred by the results, Ms. Alva said, "This election is over. The battle for protecting our Constitution, strengthening our democracy & restoring the dignity of Parliament, will continue. Jai Hind".
