New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) national president Nitish Kumar has turned down the offer to be the convenor of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, a coalition of opposition parties that aims to take on the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, news agency ANI quoted sources as saying.
Nitish Kumar has reportedly recommended that the Congress party should take up the responsibility of the convenor post. This development came to light during a virtual meeting of the INDIA bloc leaders that took place on Saturday afternoon.
The meeting was attended by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar from Mumbai, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader MK Stalin and DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi from Chennai, and other prominent leaders from various states.
The meeting discussed the seat-sharing formula, the participation in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, a nationwide campaign to demand justice and development for all sections of society, and other issues of common interest. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee could not attend the meeting as she was busy with a pre-decided state program.
The INDIA bloc, which includes the Congress party, was formed last year as a platform to unite the opposition parties against the BJP-led NDA government, which is seeking a third consecutive term at the Centre. The bloc claims to represent the aspirations and grievances of the people, especially the farmers, workers, minorities, women, and youth.
The bloc has been vocal in criticizing the government’s policies on the economy, agriculture, education, health, and foreign affairs. In the last meeting of the bloc, Mamata Banerjee and SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav had proposed the name of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge as the Prime Ministerial candidate.
Meanwhile, the Congress party’s alliance committee is holding parallel meetings with various parties of the INDIA bloc on state level alliances. On Friday, there was a meeting of Congress and Aam Aadmi Party leaders regarding seat sharing at Mukul Wasnik’s house. The meeting lasted for about two hours and the leaders of both parties described the meeting as a positive move, as per sources.
On Saturday, the Congress alliance committee is meeting leaders from Jharkhand to continue efforts to stitch up the alliance. As the Lok Sabha elections draw near, India’s political landscape is undergoing a significant reshuffling. The emerging INDIA consortium is gearing up to challenge the established NDA, setting the stage for an electoral showdown.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA won 353 seats, the UPA stood at 91, and Others won 98. The voting was staggered in seven phases between April 11 and May 19, in which around 67 per cent of the nearly 900 million eligible people exercised their franchise to elect 542 members of the Lok Sabha.