I.N.D.I.A bloc leadership questions to be addressed in 10-15 days: Kharge

Amid unease within the I.N.D.I.A bloc over who will don the leadership mantle, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the question of who will be convenor and other issues will be ironed out at a meeting of the alliance partners in 10-15 days, even as he insisted that all parties are working unitedly to oust the BJP from power.

He also said the Congress managers are already in touch with I.N.D.I.A parties on seat-sharing and the party’s five-member National Alliance Committee has briefed him about the situation in states.

When questioned about the delay in appointing a Convenor and Chairperson for the bloc, Kharge responded, "You are posing a question as if in 'Kaun Banega Crorepati'! When our meeting occurs, it will be decided. The resolution should come within 10-15 days. There is no unease in the bloc. We all are working unitedly. You don’t have to be worried.”

Kharge’s remarks came against the backdrop of reports about JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar’s impatience over not naming him as the Convenor of the bloc, with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee expressing reservations. Mamata and Kejriwal had previously suggested Kharge as the potential Prime Ministerial face of the bloc.

There is a proposal advocating for Kharge to assume the role of Chairperson of the bloc, with Nitish suggested as the Convenor. Conversely, another perspective from a certain section proposes Sonia Gandhi for the position of Chairperson, and Mamata as Convenor. The Left parties are opposed to Mamata taking on the role of Convenor.

To a question whether Congress has finalised the seats on which it will fight, Kharge said the Congress is working in all 543 Lok Sabha seats and has finalised observers for all constituencies.

Kharge mentioned that the exact count of seats the Congress will contest will become clear after the conclusion of seat-sharing discussions in different states. He highlighted that the party is actively working in all constituencies. “We may want to fight a particular seat but the alliance partner may want us to fight somewhere else. So we have started our work in all seats,” he said.

Sources said the party has identified 255 seats for “special focus” during the Lok Sabha election where it finds higher chances of winning. This would mean that the Congress is willing to scale down its demands during seat-sharing.

A senior Congress leader said that one should keep in mind that the alliance is for the Lok Sabha election and not for a state election.

“The views of states will be heard but the ultimate decision will be that of the party president. Views can be local but the decision will be national,” the senior leader said.

The Congress will look at “the national perspective” and "the national picture" during the discussions. The central leadership's assertion that it will take the final call could mean that Delhi and Punjab units may have to finally settle for an alliance with the AAP or settle for a smaller number of seats elsewhere.

Both Kharge and Rahul Gandhi also have told party leaders in internal meetings that if they all work together, I.N.D.I.A could defeat the BJP in the 2024 polls.