Opposition meeting: The third meeting of the united Opposition alliance, now known as I.N.D.I.A., is likely to be held after the Independence Day celebrations next month in Mumbai, a leader of the bloc said on Friday (July 21).
The first two meetings were held in Patna and Bengaluru on June 23 and July 18 respectively. The name of the Opposition alliance was finalised in the Bengaluru meeting in which it was given the name ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’ (I.N.D.I.A.)
In the third meeting in Mumbai, an 11-member coordination committee is likely to be finalised.
The grand alliance is also planning to constitute four-five other committees including the ones for campaign management, communication, and overseeing rallies.
The meeting holds a crucial place in the Opposition’s politics as the seat-sharing formula among 26 parties, which are a part of I.N.D.I.A. are likely to be discussed besides poll preparations, and campaign management. Work is also underway to decide on the main secretariat for the alliance in Delhi.
Various meetings are being planned in various parts of the country before the actual campaigns kickstart in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
However, the alliance is not unaware of its weak points, with issues likely to come up over the seat-sharing formula among leaders in Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal which have been hotly contested states for the Opposition involving the Left, Congress, and TMC (in Bengal), AAP and Congress (in Punjab).
The leaders of the alliance will have the challenge to counter the 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. Other parties like Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and National Conference and PDP in Jammu and Kashmir have their own differences in their respective backyards.
The 26 opposition parties which are part of the opposition 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).
(With PTI inputs)
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