As internal discord within the I.N.D.I.A. alliance has become increasingly evident, a snap poll conducted by ABP News-CVoter across three poll-bound states, namely Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh (MP), and Rajasthan, asked respondents about the potential emergence of a 'Third Front' beside the opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A. which was conceived with the central aim of forming a unified front to contest the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the impending 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The snap poll asked voters that looking at the differences in the opposition alliance 'I.N.D.I.A.', do they see a possibility of a 'Third Front'? The survey results had a majority of respondents unconvinced about the potential formation of a 'Third Front.'
In Chattisgarh, approximately 20.4% of respondents expressed support for the idea of a 'Third Front' whereas a majority, accounting for 55.7%, did not see the possibility of a third alternative. Meanwhile, 23.9% of respondents refrained from taking a definitive stance and indicated 'Can't say.'
As for Madhya Pradesh (MP), 23.3% of respondents believed in the potential formation of a 'Third Front.' A significant share, totaling 55.9%, were skeptical about the emergence of such an alliance. 20.7% of respondents remained uncertain.
Voters in Congress-ruled Rajasthan had a slightly higher proportion, specifically 26.9% of respondents, showing support for the notion of a 'Third Front.' However, here as well, a majority i.e. 51.2% of respondents expressed doubt about its emergence. A notable 21.8% of respondents opted for 'Can't say' to indicate their indecision.
In view of the Madhya Pradesh election, the Samajwadi Party's (SP) President, Akhilesh Yadav, called upon the Congress party to provide clarity on their stance regarding the alliance. This request followed their inability to reach an agreement on seat-sharing arrangements for the impending Madhya Pradesh assembly polls.
Yadav emphasised that the Congress leadership had approached him on this matter while stressing the need for transparent communication. While he did not divulge specific details, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister on Saturday questioned the purpose of these interactions, urging straightforward declarations regarding their intentions, news agency PTI reported.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai countered Akhilesh Yadav's remarks citing the SP's release of candidate lists prior to the Congress. He went on to claim that the SP was benefitting the BJP by contesting separately in Madhya Pradesh.
[Disclaimer: This survey was based on CVoter personal interviews conducted among 2,812 adults across India. Sometimes the table figures do not sum to 100 due to the effects of rounding off. The margin of error is +/- 3% at the macro level and +/- 5% at the micro level. We believe this will give the closest possible resemblance to the trends.]