According to reports, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has been picked as the head of the opposition alliance INDIA following extensive negotiations. INDIA bloc is yet to make a formal declaration. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was another candidate for the top job, but at today’s meeting, he stated that someone from the Congress should take over.
INDIA, or the ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’, is a coalition of opposition parties that includes the Congress. The parties have banded together to challenge the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from securing a third consecutive term at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Representatives from all parties attended today’s meeting, with the exception of the Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party.
Several officials who attended the meeting emphasized the necessity of maintaining national unity and preventing state-level schisms from disrupting the alliance.
However, selecting a chairman is merely one of the numerous issues the INDIA bloc has. They still need to address the problem of seat-sharing among all parties.
The Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh is unlikely to be forgiving, considering the state Congress’ unwillingness to share any seats in the assembly elections. State party chief Kamal Nath had refused to honour the central leadership’s commitment for six seats in the state.
The ripples were very public. Akhilesh Yadav’s swipes at the Congress were followed by the party’s crushing defeat in the three heartland states and the sacking of Kamal Nath from the top post.
Congress’s discussion with AAP is also proving contentious. While the party wants 4 seats in Delhi and seven seats in Punjab, AAP is not ready to comply. In both Delhi and Punjab, the ruling party wants the bigger share of seats. AAP also wants to contest in Goa, Haryana and Gujarat, sources said.
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