Kharge’s name proposed as chairperson of INDIA bloc

AMN

After long deliberation among alliance partners, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Saturday appointed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the bloc’s chairperson.

The decision was taken during a virtual meeting of top alliance leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Nitish Kumar and MK Stalin.

The virtual meeting was held to review the seat-sharing arrangement, participation in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and other matters related to the alliance.

During the meeting, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was given the INDIA bloc convener’s job.

However, he rejected the convener’s post. He reportedly told the alliance partners that someone from the Congress should take the post.

An official announcement of the decision is likely to be made later today.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar attended the meeting of INDIA bloc leaders via video conferencing in Mumbai.

The meeting was also attended by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader MK Stalin and party leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi. They joined virtual meeting from Chennai.

However, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav skipped the meeting.

As many as 29 Opposition parties have stitched an alliance to take on the BJP-led ruling NDA in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The Opposition parties have resolved to fight the general elections together “as much as possible” to defeat the BJP.

Top leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Saturday proposed the name of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s as the chairperson of the Opposition bloc.

The alliance leaders held a nearly two-hour virtual meeting, which was convened by Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

Among the leaders who attended the meeting were Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M K Stalin and CPI general secretary D Raja.

However, no official announcement was made after the meeting.

During the meeting, the leaders also discussed seat sharing for the Lok Sabha elections and holding joint programmes, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, which is scheduled to kick off from Manipur’s Imphal on Sunday.