Regional players likely to align in 16th Lok Sabha

In an attempt at isolating the Congress and denying it the principal opposition space, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(AIADMK), the Trinamool Congress(TMC) and the Biju Janata Dal(BJD) have begun talks for floor coordination in the new Lok Sabha.

The 3 parties, commanding 91 seats (AIADMK: 37 in Tamil Nadu, TMC: 34 in West Bengal and BJD: 20 in Odisha) in the Lower House, see an opportunity to combine their strengths to function as a “bloc” in the new House and act in a unified way to have a better profile than the Congress.