What Are Challenges Ahead For INDIA Alliance, Will It Be Able To Overcome Them?

MUMBAI: The meeting of the Opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) began in Mumbai on Thursday and will continue till Friday. This is the third meeting of this alliance after Patna and Bengaluru.

Alliance INDIA on Thursday decided to get into poll mode and speed up its plans to take on the National Democratic Alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Some leaders stressed on the urgency to finalize seat sharing and come out with a joint agenda in a few weeks' time.

Coordination committee would be formed

It was decided that a coordination committee would be formed after discussions, along with at least four sub-groups which include one to plan the joint program of the alliance, another on preparing the action plan and handling social media, and one on research and data analysis to take on the ruling NDA.

Sources said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge told the leaders to give one name from their respective parties for being part of the coordination committee.

Seat distribution

However, the biggest challenge of this alliance will be seat distribution. Many speculations are being made about whether seat distribution will be discussed in this meeting or not. However, before the meeting, former Chief Minister of Bihar Lalu Prasad Yadav has said that elections are coming, if the candidates are to be decided, then we will have to sit and discuss this as well.

NCP leader Sharad Pawar is included in the India alliance, but he has not yet clarified his position regarding his relationship with his nephew Ajit Pawar, who joined the BJP. Ajit Pawar is the Deputy Chief Minister in the government of BJP and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde Group).

AAP is political opponent of Cong

The distribution of seats is the most complicated issue of the India alliance. The Aam Aadmi Party is also a part of this alliance, which is the political opponent of the Congress in Delhi and Punjab. In such a situation, the distribution of seats in the alliance can be a complex issue.

Political scenario will change after assembly elections

Some political observers believe that the political picture of the country today will change after the assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. What will be the political conditions after the elections in these states will have a great impact. Even if there is talk on the distribution of seats now and tomorrow if parties like the Aam Aadmi Party break away, it will have an impact on the Alliance. 

A concrete discussion on seat sharing can happen around November-December. Now only the policy, program and framework of the alliance will be discussed. It will be decided who will be the spokesperson of the alliance, how the alliance will work

Kejriwal calls for finalising seat sharing

While West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is learnt to have told the meeting that the bloc should come out with its manifesto by October 2, her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal called for finalising seat sharing among parties for the Lok Sabha polls by the end of next month.

Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav is also learnt to have called for finalising seat sharing between parties in states early, saying there is no time left for the opposition alliance.

In view of the convening of the special session of Parliament from September 18, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the opposition should be ready for all contingency plans to take on the NDA's surprise element strategy and gimmicks.

Most leaders agreed for early finalisation of poll plans for 2024 considering that there could be early elections, while stressing that there was no time left with them and mere meetings would not help.

Making one person as convener is not easy

A source said, there could also be a discussion on Friday on having a convener for the alliance. But it is not easy to make any one person the convener of the India alliance. Many leaders are in line for this post. There may be differences of opinion among many parties regarding the fact that choosing a convenor from one party can give it an edge in the alliance.