INDIA Bloc To Hold Crucial Meet Today, Congress Chief Kharge Frontrunner For Convener's Post

At this meeting, the bloc will decide on seat sharing, pick members of an 11-member coordination committee, and appoint a convener for the alliance to streamline its working across all states.

New Delhi: The leaders of the united Opposition bloc INDIA are set to hold a two-day meeting in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1. The bloc comprises 26 Opposition parties who decided to present a united front to face the BJP juggernaut in next year’s general elections.

At this meeting, the bloc will decide on seat sharing, pick members of an 11-member coordination committee, and appoint a convener for the alliance to streamline its working across all states. The official logo of the alliance will also be unveiled during the mega-huddle.

The discussions and deliberations are expected to set the tone for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections when INDIA hopes to dislodge the BJP from power.

Key Updates Ahead Of Third Opposition Meet:

• The partners in the Opposition bloc have arrived in the country’s commercial capital to attend the two-day INDIA National Opposition Conclave.
  
  


• Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to be named as the convener of the INDIA alliance. His name is expected to be announced in the Mumbai meeting of the Opposition parties.
  
  While the INDIA alliance is yet to decide on its prime ministerial face, workers of some opposition parties like AAP, JDU, and SP have pitched their leaders for the top post.
  
  


• Earlier in the day, AAP leader Priyanka Kakkar pitched for Arvind Kejriwal as the opposition bloc's prime ministerial candidate but party colleagues Atishi and Sanjay Singh later denied that the Delhi chief minister had such aspirations.
  
  


• JDU's KC Tyagi on Monday said that Nitish Kumar had all the capabilities needed for the PM/Convener post. Similarly, Samajwadi Party spokesperson, Juhie Singh, advocated for Akhilesh Yadav’s consideration as a potential PM candidate.
  
  


• Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said that a few more political parties were likely to join the opposition INDIA bloc during its meeting in Mumbai. The JD(U) leader, however, did not reveal the names of the likely entrants.
  
  


• The INDIA bloc's first meeting was held in Patna in June, while the second one took place in Bengaluru in mid-July. The Bengaluru conclave had finalised the name of the bloc - Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).