The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A), the new alliance led by 26 Opposition parties, is likely to hold its third meeting in Mumbai from August 31 to September 1, sources said. They claimed it would be held in the same way as the Bengaluru meeting, with leaders convening informally on August 31 before their key meeting the next day.
"The opposition meeting will be a two-day affair and will take place on August 31 and September 1 with all leaders approving the dates," news agency PTI reported citing sources. The meeting is likely to be held in a hotel in Pawai followed by a press conference. Several dates were discussed previously, but they did not work out because all leaders were unavailable on that occasion, the sources said.
MVA to attend the meeting
The third meeting of the bloc is being hosted jointly by the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP's Sharad Pawar faction, with support from the Congress -- the three constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance. The MVA constituents had been holding parleys to schedule the meeting. This is the first time that the Opposition meeting will be held in a state where no member of the I.N.D.I.A bloc is in power.
Notably, the third meeting of the Opposition alliance holds much more importance after Supreme Court on Friday stayed Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a 2019 defamation case over his Modi surname remark, paving the way for him to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In the run-up to the elections, the coalition is also expected to announce the composition of committees for specific initiatives such as communication and the 2024 general election campaign.
Alliance's name 'I.N.D.I.A' was announced in 2nd meeting
While the first meeting of Opposition parties was hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD-U in Patna, the second was held in Bengaluru and hosted by the Congress. Opposition's bloc new name 'I.N.D.I.A' was announced in the Bengaluru meeting which was held on July 17-18.
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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