West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is now publicly engaged in the effort to build a third front of the Opposition against the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. The recently concluded meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Sharad Pawar on Wednesday in Mumbai is being seen as the first move to solidify this alliance. In a joint press conference featuring the NCP supremo and Nawab malik from his party, Mamata Banerjee flatly stated that “the UPA is over, where is the UPA now?”

Political circles went into a flurry after this announcement and many began speculating that Mamata Banerjee is now taking a proactive role in convening a third front on view of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In an indoor meeting in Mumbai yesterday featuring prominent members of civil society, Banerjee said that if regional outfits come together then defeating the BJP would be very easy.

The Trinamool Congress headed by Banerjee was part of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) for 10 years from 2004 to 2014. It was a political alliance forged under the leadership of the Congress, consisting of various regional parties which ruled at the Centre until 2014 when the BJP assumed power.

Mamata Banerjee has recently made the rounds with many regional leaders and it is being perceived that she is putting in efforts to consolidate a renewed third front. However, before the BJP, it looks like her major clash is going to be with the Congress.

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