After intense deliberations, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has been chosen for the chairperson of opposition bloc INDIA, sources said. INDIA bloc is yet to make an official announcement. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was another contender for the top post, but in today's meeting he said that someone from Congress should assume charge.
Sources said when the possibility of making Mr Kumar the convenor of the alliance was raised, the newly elected chief of the Janata Dal (United) said he did not have any desire for the post and did not show much interest. Nobody objected to his name, however, and Mr Kharge said he would discuss the issue with Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress and Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party.
According to the sources, the convenor is a separate post in the alliance, just below that of the chairperson.
INDIA or 'Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance' is a group of opposition parties, including the Congress. The parties have come together to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from winning a third straight term at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Today's meeting was attended by representatives from all parties, except for Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party.
Several leaders attending the meet stressed on the importance to ensure unity at the national level and not allow state-level rifts to disturb the alliance.
However, choosing a chairperson is only one facet of the many challenges faced by the INDIA bloc. They still have to tackle the issue of seat-sharing between all the parties.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party is not expected to be in a forgiving mood given the state Congress's refusal to share any seats in the assembly elections. State party chief Kamal Nath had refused to honour the central leadership's commitment for six seats in the state.
The ripples were very public. Akhilesh Yadav's swipes at the Congress were followed by the party's crushing defeat in the three heartland states and the sacking of Kamal Nath from the top post.
Congress's discussion with AAP is also proving contentious. While the party wants 4 seats in Delhi and seven seats in Punjab, AAP is not ready to comply. In both Delhi and Punjab, the ruling party wants the bigger share of seats. AAP also wants to contest in Goa, Haryana and Gujarat, sources said.
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