The next meeting of the Opposition alliance ‘INDIA’ is likely to be held next month, probably after August 15, in Mumbai. The alliance leaders have started coordinating for several committees, with campaign management, communication, and overseeing rallies being top on the agenda.
A senior leader from one of the alliance groups said that the Mumbai meeting, coordinated by Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray and NCP’s Sharad Pawar, will be crucial to finalise the nitty-gritty of the alliance and seat sharing. In the meeting, the 26-party pact, known as the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), is expected to discuss seat-sharing, poll preparations, and campaign management among its partners.
Probable dates for the conclave were discussed during the Opposition parties’ meeting on Parliament Strategy, held at the chamber of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday.
During the meeting, Kharge expressed satisfaction with the unity observed within the members who participated in the Patna and Bengaluru meetings. The leaders decided to plan the meeting after August 15 in Mumbai, with representatives of Shiv Sena and NCP volunteering to host it.
Sources mentioned that AAP’s representative proposed holding one of the Opposition meetings in Punjab as well.
Previously, the June Patna meeting was hosted by JD (U) leader and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejaswi Yadav, while the Bengaluru meeting was hosted by Karnataka Congress.
The alliance is also working on finalizing an 11-member coordination committee during the Mumbai meeting, as planned in the just-concluded Bengaluru meeting.
The alliance partners face challenges in easing friction between the Congress and the Left in Kerala, the Left and Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, and the AAP and the Congress in Punjab and Delhi. Differences also exist between Samajwadi Party and the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, and between PDP and National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir.
The 26 Opposition parties forming the alliance are the Congress, TMC, DMK, AAP, JD(U), RJD, JMM, NCP (Sharad Pawar), Shiv Sena (UBT), SP, NC, PDP, CPI(M), CPI, RLD, MDMK, Kongunadu Makkal Desia Katchi (KMDK), VCK, RSP, CPI-ML (Liberation), Forward Bloc, IUML, Kerala Congress (Joseph), Kerala Congress (Mani), Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK).