Leaders of the I.N.D.I.A bloc met on Saturday to discuss their strategy for the counting of votes on June 4. The top brass of all the constuitient parties including Samajwadi Party, CPI-M, CPI, DMK, JMM, AAP, RJD, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar) reached Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in Delhi to attend the meeting. However, the TMC and PDP skipped the opposition meet. The meeting is crucial as the seven-phased world's largest electoral exercise comes to an end today and the results are to be declared on June 4.
Apart from Kharge, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and KC Venugopal were present in the meeting. Additionally, Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Anil Desai, Sitaram Yechury, Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwat Mann, Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha, Champai Soren, Kalpana Soren, T R Baalu, Farooq Abdullah, D Raja and Mukesh Sahani remained present in the strategic I.N.D.I.A bloc meet.
Earlier, Kharge had said that this was just an informal meeting where all the parties’ leaders would discuss about the preparations they should have on the day of counting and how people should be alert, whether it is about the EVMs or the use of Form 17C.
The meeting was only for discussing the counting preparations and the Congress has already told its state units to be alert about Form 17C, Kharge had said.
The seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha elections is underway on Saturday, including in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
I.N.D.I.A bloc will participate in Exit poll debates
Shedding lights upon the outcomes of the meeting, Congress Spokesperson Pawan Khera said that leaders from I.N.D.I.A bloc decided to participate in the exit poll debates. Taking to X, he said, "I.N.D.I.A bloc parties met and decided to expose the bjp and its ecosystem on the prefixed exit polls. After considering factors for and against participating in the exit polls, it has been decided by consensus that all the INDIA parties will participate in the exit poll debates on television this evening."
(With PTI Inputs)
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