The Ashoka Hotel in the central area of the national capital hosted the fourth gathering of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Tuesday. During the meeting, the members deliberated on the allocation of seats, devised a collaborative strategy for the upcoming 2024 general elections, and adjusted their course of action in response to the setback experienced in the recent assembly polls held in three Hindi heartland states.
New Delhi: The INDIA bloc convened in New Delhi on Tuesday amidst the ongoing mass suspensions of MPs from the Parliament. The primary agenda of the meeting was to discuss strategies for seat sharing in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and to consider potential candidates for the position of Prime Minister.
During the meeting, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal reportedly put forth the name of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge as a potential candidate for the Prime Ministerial position within the alliance.
In response to the suspension of 141 MPs from Parliament, the opposition INDIA bloc, led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, announced a nationwide protest scheduled for December 22. Additionally, the coalition passed a resolution condemning the suspensions and labeling them as “undemocratic”.
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INDIA Bloc: Selection of PM Candidate
According to sources, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav departed from today’s INDIA bloc meeting prematurely due to their dissatisfaction with the proposal of Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge as the prime ministerial candidate. It is reported that when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee suggested Kharge’s name as PM candidate during the opposition alliance meeting in New Delhi, Yadav and Kumar expressed their disagreement. Consequently, they left the meeting before its conclusion and did not participate in the subsequent press conference.
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Prior to the INDIA bloc meeting, there were public demands from Nitish Kumar’s party MLAs and RJD leaders for the declaration of Bihar Chief Minister as the Opposition’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. It is worth noting that Lalu Yadav had also expressed his support for Nitish Kumar earlier, emphasizing that there is no challenge before him.
According to political observers, the RJD is strategically positioning Nitish Kumar in national politics in order for Tejashwi Yadav to assume the role of Chief Minister in Bihar. On the other hand, the opposition alliance has not yet reached a consensus on the bloc’s prime ministerial candidate. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has stated that a decision regarding the prime ministerial candidate will be made after the election.
Kharge’s Response
Kharge emphasized the importance of securing a victory before strategizing further. He questioned the relevance of discussing the prime ministerial candidate without first having a strong presence of Members of Parliament. Kharge expressed his commitment to rallying a majority for the alliance. Additionally, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal put forth Kharge’s name as a potential prime ministerial candidate.
The seat sharing issue took center stage during the meeting, as the bloc aimed to address it “as early as possible”. The Trinamool Congress set a deadline of December 31 for the conclusion of this process, while some others argued for January 15 at the latest. It was emphasized that parties need to begin preparations before the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections, which may take place in March.
In addition, the Samajwadi Party made it clear that they would not be part of the grouping if the Congress or any other party intends to include the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in IN.DIA bloc. SP leader Ramgopal Yadav firmly stated that they could not engage in any business with the Mayawati-led party.
