INDIA bloc leaders attend virtual meeting, focus on seat-sharing agenda

A virtual meeting of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc leaders began on Saturday afternoon to review seat-sharing agenda, participation in Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and other matters related to the alliance.

The bloc leaders are also likely to discuss the name of the convener for the alliance.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar attended the meeting of INDIA bloc leaders via video conferencing in Mumbai.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader MK Stalin and party leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi attended the meeting via video conferencing in Chennai.

Earlier, there was a meeting of Congress and Aam Aadmi Party leaders on Friday evening regarding seat sharing.

The meeting lasted for about two hours at Mukul Wasnik's house, and the leaders of both parties described the meeting as a positive move, as per sources.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Friday informed that the meeting will also discuss the participation of the alliance parties in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which is set to begin on January 14 in Manipur.

"INDIA party leaders will be meeting over Zoom tomorrow, January 13th, 2024. They will review various issues like seat-sharing talks that have begun, participation in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra that will begin from Thoubal near Imphal, the day after tomorrow, and other important matters. Badlega Bharat Jeetega INDIA!," Jairam Ramesh posted on X.

INDIA or 'Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance' is a group of opposition parties, including the Congress. The parties have come together to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from winning a third straight term at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections draw near, India's political landscape is undergoing a significant reshuffling. The emerging INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) consortium is gearing up to challenge the established National Democratic Alliance, setting the stage for an electoral showdown.

Earlier in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA won 353 seats, the UPA stood at 91, and Others won 98. The voting was staggered in seven phases between April 11 and May 19, in which around 67 per cent of the nearly 900 million eligible people exercised their franchise to elect 542 members of the Lok Sabha.

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be held this year that is likely to be between the Modi government's NDA alliance and the INDIA bloc.