The United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) was a political coalition in India, formed in 2007, with a primary focus on establishing a "third front" that could serve as an alternative to the two dominant national coalitions: the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The alliance primarily consisted of regional and left-wing parties, with a key agenda of providing a non-Congress, non-BJP platform to challenge the prevailing political dominance of these two parties.
Formation of the UNPA (2007)
The idea of the UNPA emerged from the dissatisfaction of several regional political parties with both the Congress-led UPA and the BJP-led NDA. The coalition was formally launched on March 15, 2007. It included a number of significant regional and national political parties, such as:
- Samajwadi Party (SP) (led by Mulayam Singh Yadav)
- Telugu Desam Party (TDP) (led by N. Chandrababu Naidu)
- All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) (led by J. Jayalalithaa)
- Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) (led by Om Prakash Chautala)
- Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)
- Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) (led by Babulal Marandi)
This alliance was often referred to as the "Third Front" in the political sphere.
Key Objectives and Vision
The UNPA aimed to challenge both the UPA and the NDA, offering a fresh platform that was neither aligned with the Congress nor the BJP. The coalition highlighted issues such as:
- Pro-Regional Autonomy: Advocating for the rights of states and regional issues.
- Agrarian Crisis: Focusing on policies for the welfare of farmers, addressing the agrarian crisis.
- Economic Policies: Opposing the economic liberalization policies of both the Congress and the BJP that they believed harmed the poor and marginalized communities.
- Secularism: Promoting secularism and regional diversity, particularly in opposition to the BJP's perceived majoritarian politics.
2007 Presidential Election
One of the first significant actions of the UNPA was its attempt to put forward a common candidate for the 2007 Presidential election in India. However, the alliance failed to nominate a successful candidate, and the Congress candidate, Pratibha Patil, went on to win the election.
Internal Differences and Decline
Despite its ambitions, the UNPA struggled with internal cohesion. The alliance consisted of parties with divergent ideologies and regional bases, which made it difficult to sustain a unified approach. There were also leadership clashes, particularly with prominent leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav and Chandrababu Naidu taking dominant roles.
In 2008, when the UPA government faced a confidence vote in Parliament after the withdrawal of support from the Left Front over the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, the Samajwadi Party broke ranks with the UNPA and supported the UPA government. This was a significant blow to the UNPA's unity and credibility as an alternative force.
Collapse and Aftermath
After the 2009 general election, the UNPA effectively disintegrated. Some of its constituent parties realigned with the UPA or NDA. For example:
- The Samajwadi Party later aligned with the UPA.
- The Telugu Desam Party eventually joined the NDA in the 2014 general elections.
- The AIADMK remained independent for a while but also flirted with alliances with the NDA.
The UNPA experiment is often seen as one of the many attempts in Indian politics to create a third front, but like similar efforts before and after, it was marred by a lack of unity and ideological coherence.
Conclusion
The United National Progressive Alliance was a brief political experiment aimed at forming a third alternative in Indian politics, challenging both the Congress and BJP-led alliances. However, internal differences, a lack of clear leadership, and divergent regional interests led to its quick decline. It serves as an example of the difficulties in sustaining a "third front" in India's complex and diverse political landscape.
