INDIA Mumbai Meeting: Discussions on Day 2, the unveiling of the logo, and seat-sharing decisions are anticipated

The two-day Opposition-led INDIA coalition summit in Mumbai got underway today with participation from key party leaders in informal discussions at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the Santacruz district. The leaders got to work on developing a strategy and a framework for collaboration to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Uddhav Thackeray, the head of the Shiv Sena (UBT), who hosted the politicians for dinner, said that further information about the meeting would be given at a news conference on Friday. The meeting went well. Tomorrow, you’ll learn more about it, he assured reporters.

The names of the 11 members of the coordination committee, who will represent the major opposition parties, and the bloc’s emblem are among the significant announcements that are anticipated during the Mumbai conference. Discussions on the bloc’s convenor and the existence of any subgroups to handle seat sharing, agitational joint programs, communication strategy, and the formulation of a single minimum program are also anticipated.

According to some sources, due to concerns among certain leaders over early elections, seat-sharing negotiations and decision-making may be completed by September 30. The issue has already caused some small divisions among the alliance’s members. The leaders of the bloc have said that they would fight for democracy regardless of their disagreements.

The Adani controversy, on the other hand, once again took center position in the days leading up to the meeting when Congressman Rahul Gandhi held a news conference at the Grand Hyatt hotel where the INDIA leaders were assembled.

After reading the OCCRP report, Rahul Gandhi questions Vinod Adani’s role.
Rahul Gandhi brought up the Adani group at a news conference in regard to the OCCRP findings and questioned Vinod Adani, Gautam Adani’s brother, about his involvement.

The OCCRP investigation, which was previously published on August 31, provides papers collected exclusively by the organization and reveals instances when people with ostensible links to the public investment sector in fact have well-known ties to the Adani family, the group’s principal owners. These people are accused of taking involved in the manipulation of the stock prices of Adani firms.

The Congressman Rahul Gandhi criticized the Adani company, saying, “Significant doubts have surfaced. The source of these payments must first be made clear—do they belong to Adani or some other organization? The involvement of Vinod Adani, Gautam Adani’s brother, and two foreign persons also calls for investigation.

He added, “Why have these two foreign nationals been allowed to influence India’s crucial infrastructure?” as a follow-up question.

Up to 63 delegates from 28 political parties, including two regional groups—the Peasants and Workers organization of India (PWP), a Marxist political organization in Maharashtra, and another regional group—are anticipated to attend the gathering. Everyone is waiting to see whether the bloc would name a convenor or a candidate for prime minister.

Abusing the PM candidate’s questions
Many opposition politicians have avoided answering the question of who would be the INDIA alliance candidate for prime minister. India will be our PM face, Mamata Banerjee said the day before the conference. Our first priority is to preserve the nation,” she stated. Uddhav Thackeray, a former chief minister and leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), responded to a question about the BJP’s options by saying, “We have a lot of choices; the question is what choice the BJP has.”

His son and party leader Aaditya Thackeray criticized the BJP for always focusing on them and reaffirmed that the INDIA coalition had a number of options for the PM face. He said, “BJP is scared of INDIA,” adding that the party’s animosity extends beyond the coalition to include the whole nation and its legal system.

Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress, is reportedly the front-runner to be the convenor.

more parties to join INDIA
The INDIA bloc’s political parties are becoming more numerous, and their morale is rising, according to AICC spokesman Pawan Khera on Wednesday. 28 parties are anticipated to attend the Mumbai meet starting today, up from the 26 parties that attended the Bengaluru summit.

When asked whether Mayawati, the leader of the Akali Dal and BSP, may join the opposition, Khera said that there are now 28 component parties (under the INDIA bloc), up from 26 before, and more names will be added in the coming days. He said that “many others who are currently with NDA will join the INDIA alliance.”