The stage is set for the INDIA bloc conclave of 27 non-BJP parties to be held at the Grand Hyatt in Kalina. The leaders will take part in a dinner to be hosted by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday night and the main deliberations will take place on Thursday. Apart from Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, chief ministers Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee, M.K. Stalin, Siddharamaih, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann and others are expected to take part in the meeting.
Leaders of MVA during preparations of INDIA meeting. | Salman Ansari/FPJ
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar, has left no stone unturned to make a success of the meeting, which is being held to work out a strategy to ensure the defeat of the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for 2024.
Rise of Uddhav Thackeray in national politics
One interesting upshot of the meeting is the emergence of Uddhav Thackeray at the national level. Even though his party was badly mauled by Eknath Shinde, who defected with several MLAs to join hands with the BJP, Uddhav Thackeray has managed to ensure the political relevance of his party. Probably it is for the first time that a Shiv Sena leader will be rubbing shoulders with a large number of national level leaders.
INDIA meet banners in Santacruz. | Salman Ansari/FPJ
The Shiv Sena has always been a regional party with little ambitions to become a player at the national level. But here is the case where a Sena leader (Uddhav Thackeray) will be the principal host to leaders of as many as 27 parties. The meeting will not only help him widen his political horizons, but also give an opportunity to several opposition leaders to see him in action in his home turf. A Sena (UBT) MP told the FPJ that "Post the meeting, Uddhavji's political stature will get a massive boost." In fact, Aaditya Thackeray will also get an opportunity to showcase his organisational skills during the conclave. Youth leaders of many of these parties are also expected to arrive at the Grand Hyatt and Aaditya will be exchanging notes with them.
BJP watches from sidelines, Pawar factor worries INDIA
Is the BJP worried about the grand show that the opposition is planning to put up in Mumbai? What the meeting implies is the possibile consolidation of anti-BJP votes which may make the going extremely tough for the BJP next year. A senior BJP official said on condition of anonymity that ``We cannot afford to dismiss the coming together of these parties. Complacency will prove costly for us." In Maharashtra, the BJP is in power by encouraging splits in the Shiv Sena and the NCP. Meanwhile, several leaders are expected to ask Sharad Pawar to clarify his stand on the split in the party. His recent statement that Ajit Pawar is a leader of his party has caused considerable consternation among constituents of the INDIA bloc. There is fear in the minds of several opposition leaders that Pawar Sr may ultimately join hands with the NDA led by the BJP. The meeting is taking place in the background of this lurking fear.
Salman Ansari/FPJ
