Amid speculations of the JD(U) chief being upset with the Opposition bloc, the top leaders of the I.N.D.I alliance and the Bihar Chief Minister are likely to hold discussions virtually on Tuesday (January 3), sources said. They further said that senior Congress leaders likely to propose to make Kumar the convener of the Opposition bloc considering his important role in the alliance.
Several top leaders including Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge will participate in the discussion on the Zoom app. Meanwhile, national presidents of major parties of I.N.D.I alliance are also likely to join.
According to sources, the Congress has also taken consent from RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav regarding this matter. Discussions have already taken place with Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray as well, they added.
After the fourth meeting of the I.N.D.I alliance held in New Delhi, reports about Nitish Kumar being upset started surfacing. It was said that Kumar’s name was to be proposed for the Prime Minister’s post, but Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal put forward the name of Mallikarjun Kharge, which left the JD(U) chief displeased. In addition to Kumar, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav also did not appear happy after the meeting.
I.N.D.I.A bloc’s 4th meeting
On December 19, the fourth meeting of the Opposition bloc took place in the national capital and was attended by leaders from 28 parties. Congress leader KC Venugopal told reporters that the seat-sharing talks should start without delay and there is a proposal for “joint rallies” also.
The alliance, led by the Congress, took shape with the primary objective of mounting a combined challenge to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming general elections. The first meeting of the joint opposition convened in Patna on June 23 and the second meeting was held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. The third meeting happened in Mumbai on August 31-September 1.
Lok Sabha elections 2024
It should be noted here that general elections are expected to be held in India between April and May to elect the members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha is scheduled will end in the month of June. The previous general elections were held in April–May 2019. After the elections, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance formed the government at the Centre, with Narendra Modi continuing as Prime Minister for the second straight term.
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