NEW DELHI: The next meeting of the Opposition alliance 'India' (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) is likely to be held after August 15 in Mumbai. Its leaders have started coordinating for several committees, with campaign management, communication and overseeing joint rallies being top on the agenda.
The Mumbai meeting is being coordinated by Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray and NCP's Sharad Pawar. It will be crucial to finalise the nitty-gritty of the alliance and seat sharing.
Discussions on seat-sharing, poll prep likely
In the meeting of the 26 parties having the pact known as INDIA, sources said the discussions will be held on the seat sharing, poll preparations and campaign management among the partners.
Probable dates for the conclave wre discussed during the Opposition parties' meeting on Parliamentary strategy, held in the chamber of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday.
During this meeting, Kharge expressed satisfaction with the unity observed within the members who participated in the Patna and Bengaluru meetings. The leaders decided to plan the next meeting after August 15 in Mumbai, with the representatives of Shiv Sena and NCP volunteering to host it.
AAP rep offered to host meet in Punjab
Sources said the AAP's representative offered to host a meeting in Punjab as well. The first meeting was hosted in Patna by Janata Dal(U) leader and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar nd his deputy Tejaswi Yadav while the Karnataka Congress hosted the second meeting in Bengaluru.
The alliance is also working on finalising an 11-member coordination committee during the Mumbai meeting, as decided in the just-concluded Bengaluru meeting early this week.
The major task of the alliance partners is to ease friction between Congress and Left in Kerala, between Trinamul Congress and Left in West Bengal and the AAP and Congress in Punjab and Delhi. Differences also exist between the Congress and Samajwadi Party in UP and between PDP and National Congress in Jammu and Kashmir.
