Lagatar24 Desk
Mumbai, Sep 1: A central coordination committee made up of 14 members from its constituent parties was announced by the opposition coalition INDIA, which is conducting its third meeting in Mumbai. The alliance also agreed to jointly run in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and it declared that seat-sharing negotiations will start “immediately” between the member parties.
Notably, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren is also included in the 14-member committee.
The 14-member coordination panel for the INDIA bloc consists of the following: Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, RJD leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, AAP MP Raghav Chadha, Javed Khan from Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal United national president Lalan Singh, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, CPI leader D Raja, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti. A member from CPI(M) will be announced.
The coordinating panel’s leader’s name has not yet been made public.
The INDIA group also stated that the member parties would “contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections together as far as is possible” in a resolution issued during the conference. “Seat-sharing arrangements in different states will be initiated immediately and concluded at the earliest in a collaborative spirit of give-and-take,” the resolution also said.
In a speech earlier that day, Mallikarjun Kharge, the national president of the Congress, accused the BJP-led central government of “playing vendetta politics” and attacked them. He claimed that as the INDIA group gathers support, the government will aggressively abuse its agencies to target Opposition figures.
Kharge further said, “every segment of society, including farmers, youth, women, the marginalised, middle class, intellectuals, NGOs, and journalists, have suffered from the BJP’s authoritarian rule”.
Additionally, the Congress leader blamed the central government for “hate crimes against innocent train passengers and school children.”
Sharing a photo of the opposition leaders taken together before the meeting, Kharge declared on X that the citizens of India “shall not be betrayed any more” and “140 core Indians have decided to usher change.”
“We are united for a progressive, welfare-oriented, inclusive India. No matter how many diversions and distractions, the ruling regime throws at the people, the citizens of India shall not be betrayed any more. 140 Cr Indians have decided to usher change. The countdown of this autocratic government’s exit has begun,” the Congress president wrote.
Judega Bharat, Jeetega INDIA 🇮🇳
We are united for a progressive, welfare-oriented, inclusive India.
No matter how many diversions and distractions, the ruling regime throws at the people, the citizens of India shall not be betrayed anymore.
140 Cr Indians have decided to… pic.twitter.com/mjug68b12c
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) September 1, 2023
The opposition bloc’s formal structure was finalized and a campaign strategy was outlined at the alliance’s third meeting. The opposition leaders are most likely to release a joint statement later on Friday.
At least four sub-groups of the alliance are anticipated, each with distinct roles to play. One team will be in charge of the alliance’s unified agenda, another of creating the action plan and managing social media, while a third will be in charge of doing research and data analysis. Another subcommittee would be formed to plan combined campaigns and rallies.
The leaders have been asked to draught bullet points in order to create a shared agenda by Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge.
The coalition will choose who will serve as the spokesperson. The meeting will also include the announcement of a new secretariat to aid in the efficient coordination of the INDIA bloc’s members. The national capital is most likely where the secretariat will be located.
