I.N.D.I.A bloc meeting in Mumbai: The meeting of the I.N.D.I.A bloc started at around 11:00 am in Mumbai with over 60 leaders from 27 political parties in attendance. The I.N.D.I.A bloc leaders had informally met and discussed several issues on the first day of the two-day meeting.
In the main meeting today, the logo unveiling part has been put on hold for now. Now, they will discuss the seat-sharing framework, candidate for the convenor post, formation of coordination panel and also to discuss the strategy for the upcoming Special Session of Parliament from September 18 (Monday) to September 22 (Friday).
During the conclave, discussion on formulating a common minimum programme and forming a coordination committee of the principal opposition parties is also likely to take place.
Ahead of the meeting, the opposition bloc's will address a press conference in the afternoon (at around 3:30 pm) to give information about what decisions were taken during the conclave. Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said talks will be held on the formation of coordination committees and appointing a convenor.
"It will be known after the meeting if a decision has been arrived at,'' he said.
During an informal meeting of the alliance partners held at the hotel on Thursday (August 31), most leaders stressed the need to discuss seat sharing at the national level and finalising the process of poll preparations as soon as possible.
What different leaders said on formal/informal meeting?
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Jammu and Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah, former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and CPI general secretary D Raja had arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday for the meeting.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and others arrived on Thursday.
The informal meeting of all the leaders on Thursday evening was followed by a dinner hosted by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. It was learnt that during the informal meeting, the leaders deliberated on fixing the agenda of the formal meeting on Friday when key decisions about the alliance's future strategy would be taken.
Thackeray, Kejriwal and some other leaders described the informal meeting as good. Kejriwal said his party demanded that seat-sharing across the country be discussed at the meeting on Friday.
Ahead of the crucial third round of discussions, the alliance has exuded confidence that it would provide a formidable alternative to bring a political change in the country and asserted that it has several prime ministerial faces, unlike the BJP.
Several leaders of the alliance on Thursday said they have come together to save the Constitution and democracy in the country, and would evolve a common programme as they prepare to take on the ruling BJP.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said defeating the INDIA alliance was not only difficult but impossible. Former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav said the need of the hour is to strengthen the unity and sovereignty of the country, and to protect the Constitution and democracy.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said the formation of the INDIA alliance was aimed at saving the country, while his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren said parties taking part in the meeting will deliberate on their views about the country, its democracy and the Constitution.
CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury claimed that people's response to INDIA has "unnerved" the prime minister and the BJP.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP and Congress has formed several committees to plan various aspects of the meeting of the opposition bloc. This is the first meeting of the INDIA alliance in a state where none of the bloc members are in power.
After the meeting, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit Tilak Bhavan, the party's state unit headquarters here, to meet leaders and workers, party sources said.
The like-minded parties have come together to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and to stop it from winning a third consecutive term at the Centre in the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The first meeting of the joint Opposition took place in Bihar's Patna on June 23, and the second meeting was held in Bengaluru on July 17-18.
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