INDIA Alliance Mumbai Meeting: The first meeting of the grouping was held in Patna
Opposition alliance, INDIA, today announced that they will contest the Lok Sabha elections together "as far as possible" - to take on the BJP.
Here are the top 10 updates on this big story
- The alliance announced a 13-member coordination committee that will act as the "highest decision-making body" for the grouping.
- Congress' K C Venugopal, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, TMC's Abhishek Banerjee, Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, AAP's Raghav Chadha, Samajwadi Party's Javed Ali Khan, JDU's Lallan Singh, CPI leader D Raja, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and PDP's Mehbooba Mufti are part of the key panel.
- Seat-sharing arrangements will be initiated immediately and concluded at earliest in collaborative spirit of give-and-take, the resolution adopted by the Opposition leaders at the meeting said.
- The resolution also said the parties will coordinate their communications and media strategies, and campaigns with the theme "Judega Bharat, Jiteega India" in different languages.
- This is INDIA's third meeting. The alliance leaders had earlier met in Patna and Bengaluru earlier this year. The other agenda for the Opposition bloc remains appointment of spokespersons and grouping's logo.
- Launching a scathing attack on the BJP, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the strength of the opposition alliance is making the government "nervous". He told the INDIA bloc partners to prepare for vendetta politics as there will be more "misuse" of agencies against them.
- While West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is learnt to have told the leaders that the bloc should release its manifesto by October 2, Mr Kharge asked them to prepare a common agenda to counter the BJP on national level.
- Last night, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray hosted a formal dinner for the Opposition leaders. At the meeting, several leaders expressed apprehension about early polls. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that the opposition should be ready to take on the NDA's "surprise element strategy and gimmicks."
- The government has called for a "special session of Parliament" to be held from September 18 to 22, drawing strong criticism from the Opposition. Government sources have, so far, been tight-lipped on possible agendas.
- The leaders said they have come together to save the Constitution and democracy and that the alliance is working to unite the country. "It is not just a coalition of parties but that of ideas, " said RJD leader Manoj Jha.
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