Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has been named as the chairperson of the INDIA alliance in the virtual meeting of the opposition parties. The decision came after Bihar CM Nitish Kumar turned down the post of convenor and insisted that someone from the Congress should be appointed for the position.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar, giving details of the meeting, said, "A meeting of INDIA Alliance was held under the chairmanship of Mallikarjun Kharge. We had a discussion that we all will take a decision on seat sharing as soon as possible. It was suggested by some that the alliance should be headed by Mallikarjun Kharge and everyone agreed. We also formed a committee to make plans in the coming days. Everyone suggested that Nitish Kumar should take responsibility as the convenor, but his opinion is that the one who is already in charge should continue."
When quizzed on the PM candidate, Pawar said, After the elections, if we get the majority, then we would be able to give a better option to the country..."
Earlier in the day, the leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc are engaged in a virtual meeting, with a primary focus on discussing seat-sharing arrangements and selecting the alliance's convener.
The decision regarding the convenor position will be made after consulting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Kharge was suggested as the alliance's Prime Ministerial candidate by Mamata Banerjee in December last year, a proposal supported by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
On Friday, Kharge led a session with Lok Sabha coordinators from various states, encouraging them to enhance their outreach to the public.
The initial meeting covered Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Delhi, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu. Subsequently, the second meeting involved coordinators from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh, Jammu-Kashmir, and Ladakh.
On Thursday, Kharge engaged in talks with Lok Sabha coordinators from various states. The party has assigned coordinators for every Lok Sabha constituency, aiming to streamline nationwide efforts in preparation for the upcoming elections.
