Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal CM and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar during the I.N.D.I.A alliance meeting, at a hotel in Mumbai.
Credit: PTI Photo
To firm up its formation, the parties convening at Mumbai under the I.N.D.I.A grouping are likely to decide upon a Secretariat for election management among the various parties, finalise a few key issues to rally behind in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and come up with a coordination committee.
During the third meeting of the Opposition bloc, which started in Mumbai on Thursday, leaders involved said that there is a strong likelihood that a socio-economic and political resolution could be passed. The resolution could be drafted by three senior leaders of three different parties.
Sources involved with the meeting said that a senior leader could be selected by the grouping to head a team or Secretariat for better election management among the parties. A Common Minimum Programme (CMP) is in the works, which was also taken up in the meeting held in Bengaluru last month.
The I.N.D.I.A parties are also likely to etch out some issues that they will individually and collectively raise against the Modi-led National Democratic Alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. To raise these issues, the parties will also designate 4-5 spokespersons who will represent the I.N.D.I.A parties.
During the meeting, the parties are also likely to decide upon an agenda that represents the grouping’s interests. A schedule that will trace a timeline for the activities that the parties intend to carry out in the coming months will also be taken up, sources said.
While the finalising of a common logo to represent the I.N.D.I.A bloc is on the agenda of the meet, sources privy to the development said that there is a possibility that a logo might not materialise at the end of the Mumbai meet.
Sources said that the Left parties were not yet on board with the CMP, as they believed that such a programme should take shape after the polls.
There has been sustained speculation that a chairperson is likely to be appointed, with several Congress leaders asserting that UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi will be appointed for the role.