The INDIA bloc is conducting a significant strategy meeting as the Lok Sabha elections near their conclusion. The gathering is taking place at the Delhi residence of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. Senior leaders including Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh from the Aam Aadmi Party, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury, National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah, and others have already arrived.
The only party not participating is Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, due to the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections and ongoing relief operations for Cyclone Remal, which recently affected Bengal.
Officially, the meeting aims to formulate a strategy to ensure smooth vote counting at state and district levels. However, sources suggest the real focus is on maintaining unity within the alliance.
This is particularly important as the results approach, especially if the NDA secures a narrow victory, according to Congress leaders. They anticipate the NDA winning around 260-270 seats, just shy of the majority mark.
On today’s INDIA alliance meeting, Congress leader Pawan Khera tweets, “INDIA parties met and decided to expose the BJP and its ecosystem on the prefixed exit polls. After considering factors for and against participating in the exit polls, it has been decided by consensus that all the INDIA parties will participate in the exit poll debates on television this evening.”
Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav has predicted the NDA will secure no more than 270 seats, falling short of the majority by just two seats.
The exit poll results are expected this evening, but the Congress has opted out of any discussions following them, which has drawn criticism from the BJP camp.
The Congress stated it finds exit polls unnecessary with the vote counting happening soon, while the BJP interpreted this as a “tacit acceptance of defeat.”
