NDA, I.N.D.I.A. alliance to hold parallel meetings in Mumbai in September

With the Lok sabha elections scheduled for early next year, a direct battle is brewing between the Opposition INDIA alliance and the ruling NDA. On 1 September, both alliances will have parallel high-level meetings in Maharashtra’s capital Mumbai. The INDIA alliance members at the joint meeting are set to discuss alliance strategies for the Lok Sabha elections and seat-sharing in various states. A new logo for the alliance is also likely to be launched.
At the same time, the NDA alliance in Maharashtra with a new partner, the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction is also scheduled to meet on the same date in Mumbai. NCP parliamentarian Sunil Tatkare, who represents the Ajit Pawar faction said, “In this meeting, all our state government alliance partners BJP, ShivSena (Eknath Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) will participate.” When asked about the timing of the meeting which coincides with the INDIA alliance meeting, Sunil Tatkare said “Our meeting was planned long back before the last state assembly Monsoon session by our coordination committee, so it’s no point to say that we are doing this as Opposition parties are also having a meeting on the same day.”
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader, Ashok Chavan also confirmed that around “26 to 27” Opposition alliance parties will come together to attend the INDIA meeting. “An informal gathering will be held on the evening of 31 August in Mumbai and a formal meeting on 1 September. So far, two meetings have been organised. In this third meeting, the next agenda will be discussed. We are deciding to make a common logo and it may get unveiled on 31 August,” Chavan said.
While speaking to reporters on Sunday, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar hinted at a possible expansion of the alliance with a few more regional parties joining hands with the alliance. “We will discuss the INDIA alliance’s strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Mumbai. Seat sharing and other issues are also on our agenda for the meeting. A few more political parties will join our coalition. I want to unite the maximum number of parties before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. I am working in that direction” said Nitish Kumar. Congress Leader PL Punia said that the names for the Prime Minister post for the INDIA bloc will be decided after the alliance registers victory in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. “INDIA alliance has decided that the Prime Minister will be decided after coming to power. The elected MPs will choose the PM,’ the Congress leader said. INDIA or ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’ is a group of 26 opposition parties, including the Congress. The parties have come together to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by PM Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from winning a third straight term at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The first meeting of the joint opposition convened in Patna on June 23 and the second meeting was held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. The third meeting is slated to be in Mumbai on August 31-September 1.