What is the strategy of unaligned parties for the 2024 general election? While the “INDIA” alliance (or the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) has grabbed the headlines, the neutral camp that is sandwiched within the two big coalitions, subject to various push and pulls, provides an interesting portal to contemporary national politics.
The neutral parties
There are three major parties in this camp: the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS, earlier known as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, or the TRS). The Bahujan Samaj Party is left out of the present analysis. These parties had racked up a combined 43 seats in 2019 (22 seats for the YSRCP, nine seats for the TRS, and 12 seats for the BJD), making this camp a crucial arbitrator of national fortunes. All three parties have largely followed the equidistant route since 2014 (except the TRS for a few years, although it seems back in the camp).
