INDIA bloc's first Coordination Committee meet undeway at Sharad Pawar's Delhi residence

INDIA bloc`s coordination committee meets/ Pic/X

The first meeting of the Opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc is underway at Nationalist Congress Party Chief Sharad Pawar's Delhi residence on Wednesday. As many as 11 leaders of the 14-member panel are present at the meeting which was being held under the shadow of controversy over Udhaynidhi Stalin's remark on Sanatana Dharma, stated a PTI report.

The Coordination Committee is likely to discuss the seat-sharing formulae for different states and a broad campaign strategy for the alliance, stated the report.

The leaders present at the meeting are Pawar Sr, Congress leader KC Venugopal, Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, AAP MP Raghav Chadha, NC leader Omar Abdullah, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, CPI's D Raja, SP's Jawed Ali Khan, DMK's T R Baalu and JD(U)'s Sanjay Jha. Three members including JMM leader Hemant Soren, and Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee couldn't be present for different reasons.

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Abhishek Banerjee was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate to appear before it on the same day while the CPI(M) is yet to appoint a member to the committee. A decision will be taken on the same in a Polit Bureau meeting scheduled on September 16-17, media reports state.

The PTI report cited their sources saying that the leaders of the several Opposition parties sought an early seat-sharing formula to be worked out to ensure a joint Opposition candidate could be pitted against BJP candidates in Lok Sabha seats. They also remarked that several leaders might have to "shed" their egos and "vested interests".

Although the decision is yet to be made on criteria, the reports suggest it will be based on the performance of parties on particular seats in the latest polls. The report cited another source saying that even if things are not finalised at the meeting, seat-sharing will be discussed. Moreover, a broad outlay of the election campaign for taking on the BJP will also be laid.

At the first-ever Opposition meeting held in Patna in June, the members decided the strongest candidate from each seat would be picked up for Lok Sabha polls. However, in the resolution issued on September 1, after the third meeting in Mumbai, the parties said they would contest polls together "as far as possible" and that the seat sharing arrangements would be concluded at the earliest.

Reportedly, states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Bihar are sorted but challenging negotiations are up for Delhi, Punjab and West Bengal. The meeting, according to the PTI report, will focus on finalising campaigns and rallies to be held in the coming days. Meanwhile, decisions taken in meetings of different subgroups will also be looked upon by the leaders.