New Delhi:
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has called for the next meeting of the INDIA opposition bloc to be held in Delhi on Wednesday, sources said this morning. The news came as the party leads in counting of votes for two Assembly elections – early trends show it is set to retain Chhattisgarh and, in a surprise result, defeat Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in Telangana, where his BRS has ruled since 2014.
In the battle for two others, the Congress is projected to lose Rajasthan – which has unfailingly voted out incumbent governments for the past three decades – to national rivals BJP.
The BJP, meanwhile, is expected to retain Madhya Pradesh, a state it has dominated since 2003.
The date of the next INDIA meeting comes amid speculation over the bloc’s future amid talk of internal rifts. Those were highlighted this month after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose Janata Dal (United) is a founding member, blamed the Congress for lack of prep for next year’s general election.
READ | “Not Much Progress In INDIA, Congress More Interested In…”: Nitish Kumar
“We have been speaking to them… pushing them forward in INDIA alliance. But, of late, there has not been much progress on that front. The Congress seems to be more interested in the five assembly polls. We agreed to assign Congress the leading role. But it appears they will call the next meeting only after they are through with the state elections,” he had said.
The last meet of the INDIA group was on August 31-September 1 in Mumbai, after which it was announced the Congress would set the next dates. There was talk it may be in Delhi but no news had emerged till now. There was also buzz it may be in Madhya Pradesh but that was scrapped.
After the Mumbai meeting, INDIA had declared it plans to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election, and this month’s state polls, “together as far as possible”. The wording of the resolution, however, raised eyebrows and spawned questions, specifically the kind INDIA was to answer – how united is the opposition as it bids to prevent Prime Minister Narendra Modi claiming an unprecedented third term.
Significantly, Nitish Kumar’s comment also came after a squabble between the Congress and another INDIA member – the Samajwadi Party – over seat-sharing in Madhya Pradesh. Samajwadi boss Akhilesh Yadav claimed a gentleman’s agreement was ignored. “If I knew, wouldn’t have spoken to Congress.”
READ | INDIA Alliance Remains, Akhilesh Yadav Tells NDTV Amid Signs Of Strain
Mr Yadav later downplayed the fight, telling NDTV he remains part of INDIA.
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