MUMBAI/ NEW DELHI : The India Alliance of 28 opposition parties has said it will fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections “together as much as possible”. The parties resolved to coordinate communication and media strategies and campaigns related to the theme “Judega Bharat, Jeetega India” in different languages.
In the third meeting of India Alliance, discussion was avoided on those controversial issues in which decisions regarding seat sharing, coordinator of the alliance and joint program were to be taken. However, in more positive news, the alliance announced a 14-member cross-party “coordination committee” to work on issues and challenges such as a possible common minimum program and the thorny problem of seat-sharing across the country. The first meeting of the Alliance was held in Patna and the second in Bengaluru. Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut said that India Alliance’s Coordination Committee, Campaign Committee, Working Group of Social Media and Working Group of Research Committee have been formed in which there are members from all parties.
The opposition is facing the challenge of uniting among themselves to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi from claiming an unprecedented third term. , In the meeting of opposition parties, the members are trying to present themselves as a sure weapon to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The opposition’s INDIA alliance will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election “together as far as possible”, the alliance said Friday, the final day of its meeting in Mumbai. The wording of the INDIA alliance’s resolution, however, has raised eyebrows and spawned questions, specifically of the kind the grouping was meant to answer – just how united is the opposition as it bids to prevent Prime Minister Narendra Modi claiming an unprecedented third term. The parties resolved to “coordinate respective communications and media strategies and campaigns with the theme “Judega Bharat, Jiteega India” in different languages.
“I am confident that INDIA will defeat the BJP,” Rahul Gandhi said. “The final thing I would say is the real work in the alliance is the relationship forged between the leaders. These three meetings have done a lot to build the relationship between us, I can see there is flexibility, of course there are differences but these are ironed out very comfortably,” he said.
Mr Gandhi said, “two very big steps were taken (today). The most important thing to understand is that this stage represents 60% of India’s population. If the parties on this stage unite, it is impossible for BJP to win the election. First step is to set up a coordination committee and also speed up seat sharing talks. These are two powerful steps to defeat the BJP.” “The nexus between PM and a particular businessman is for everyone to see,”
it is essential for our nation’s credibility that PM calls for an enquiry on the Adani group,” he added. “The idea behind PM Modi’s government is to extract money from the poor and transfer it to a limited few,” the former Congress president said.The resolution after INDIA’s third meeting (the first two were in Patna and Bengaluru) also refers to seat-sharing arrangements, noting these will be “initiated immediately and concluded… in a collaborative spirit of give-and-take”.
The mega opposition meet – hailed by its members as the definitive weapon with which to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party – concluded with the release of resolutions, and some drama after ex-Congress leader Kapil Sibal made a surprise entry.
“Coordination Committee” Announced. In more positive news though, the alliance announced a 14-member cross-party “coordination committee” to work out issues and challenges like a possible Common Minimum Programme and the thorny problem of seat-sharing across the country.Sources told NDTV four other committees are being planned, apart from the “coordination committee”, to help plan campaigns and rallies, handle social media and manage data.
Sources also spoke of “action on the ground” on October 2 – Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary – in Delhi.
The “coordination committee” will be INDIA’s highest decision-making body, and will include representatives from Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Shiv Sena UBT, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Aam Aadmi Party, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, and the Janata Dal (United). Also on the committee are National Conference, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist), and People’s Democratic Party.
After three INDIA meetings, what is perhaps commendable is that the opposition – in this case the BJP – hasn’t been able to break the bloc, so far. Also commendable is the united front in dealing with the press, including tricky areas like seat-sharing.
Amid speculation of early polls and formation of a panel to explore the possibility of ‘one nation, one election’, top leaders of the Opposition bloc INDIA crucial discussions to give structure to their cooperation and crystallise their plans about seat sharing and a common agenda to take on the NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The alliance parties passed resolutions to jointly contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections “as far as possible”. In their resolution, the parties said they “resolve to organize public rallies at the earliest in different parts of the country on issues of public concern and importance”. They also resolved “to coordinate our respective communications and media strategies and campaigns with the theme Judega Bharat, Jiteega India in different languages.”
Earlier, during his opening remarks, Congress chief Mallikarjun kharge cautioned the bloc parties o be prepared for “more attacks in the coming months, more raids and arrests” from the government in the coming days.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar said, “we are being criticised even for holding a meeting. In the last ten years, the government of the day, do not have their feet on the ground.. And then they are the ones to call us “ ghamandiya” or arrogant( PM Modi had used the word for INDIA parties).” CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, “two more parties have joined, more parties will join. At the State level we will work out the seat arrangement, it will vary from State to State.”“To save the character of Indian republic, to save the Constitution and particularly to uphold the guarantees irrespective of caste, creed and gender, we have to keep the BJP away from power. It is for that objective we have come together,” Mr. Yechury said.
RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav said, “all the Opposition parties were sitting apart and the country paid for it. Modi I have been saying Bhajpa Bhagao Desh Bachao (Drive out BJP, save India).” “Minority is not safe in this country, poverty is on the rise and there is uncontrolled inflation…
INDIA is not merely an alliance of 26-28 parties, it’s an alliance of 140 crore people: Delhi CM Kejriwal He “INDIA is not merely an alliance of 26-28 parties, it’s an alliance of 140 crore people. They have come together for constructing the Bharat of 21st century.” “Narendra Modi government is the most corrupt government, in the contemporary history of the country,” he said, adding, “the entire government is working for just one person. ”I have never seen a more arrogant government and they believe they are bigger than Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief M.K. Stalin said “during the first meet, all of the 19 parties came together to bring BJP down. With the second meeting at Bengaluru, we named it INDIA and started the journey. During the third meeting at Mumbai now, we are proving that it is a strong alliance.”
Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar said, “now in a systematic manner, we shall begin our campaign. Those who are in the Centre will certainly lose, they’ll certainly have to leave. They are on their way out. They want to alter the country’s history, we won’t let them do it. We stand for equitable progress of all communities and leaving no one behind.”
The coordination committee of INDIA bloc is likely to have 13 members: NCP’s Sharad Pawar, DMK’s M.K. Stalin, Congress K.C. Venugopal, JMM’s Hemant Soren, Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut, TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee, AAP’s Raghav Chadha, National Conference’s Omar Abdullah, PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti, CPI’s D. Raja, JD(U) Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said the newly formed Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc would defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in 2024. Mr. Yadav added that all sections of society in the country were angry with the anti-poor policies of the Union government.
(Mumbai Bureau With Media Inputs).

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