INDIA meet: The next round of meetings of INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) alliance is likely to take place in Mumbai in the first week of September (September 1 to 3) - the third meeting in two months-, said sources. Earlier, it was reported that the crucial meeting will take place on August 24, 25. The first such meeting was held in Patna and the second in Bengaluru.
Top leaders of 26 opposition parties attend the two-day brainstorming session in Bengaluru and Patna where they are likely to start work on a common minimum programme and announce a joint agitational plan to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
While fifteen parties attended the meeting for opposition unity hosted by Kumar in Patna on June 23, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi attending the second meeting was the highlight in Bengaluru.
The Mumbai Summit -- as it is being called by INDIA bloc parties -- is significant as discussions regarding seat sharing are expected to be taken up. The 26 opposition parties led by Congress have been trying to forge alliance ahead of the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections to take on the BJP.
During the meeting, the parties are expected to iron out their differences as much as possible, especially in states where they are in a direct poll battle. Resolving the leadership issue in their alliance is among the several challenges before the bloc.
The differences among parties such as the Congress and the Left in Kerala, the Left and TMC in West Bengal, the AAP and the Congress in Punjab and Delhi, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in Uttar Pradesh and and the PDP and the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir are issues that remain unresolved.
