The first meeting of the key coordination committee and election strategy committee of the opposition INDIA bloc is scheduled to be held on September 13 at the Delhi residence of NCP chief and veteran political leader Sharad Pawar, sources said. This comes 12 days after the third meeting of the INDIA bloc concluded in Mumbai on September 1.
According to sources, a discussion will take place on September 13 on the date and venue of the first joint public rally of the INDIA front. Another key issue on the table is seat sharing and a joint strategy in the five election-bound states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Mizoram.
CPI general secretary D Raja, who is part of the committee, told News18, “Now that elections are going to be held in Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan… how we can guide and help them sort out issues at the state level may be an issue [to discuss].”
He added, “The elections are very close… parties of INDIA alliance can work together and seat-sharing arrangement will have to be done properly so that a united fight can be put up.”
Fourteen of the 28 parties that constitute the INDIA bloc have representation in the steering committee and the election strategy committee but the CPI(M) is yet to name its member. Sources said the CPI(M)’s Politburo meeting is scheduled for the 16th and 17th of this month and a decision on the issue will be taken then.
The other 13 members are Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, DMK MP and parliamentary party leader TR Baalu, Jharkhand CM and JMM chief Hemant Soren, RS MP and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, Bihar Deputy CM and RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav, TMC MP and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, AAP MP Raghav Chadha, SP MP Javed Ali Khan, JD(U) MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh, CPI general secretary D Raja, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.
Apart from the steering and election strategy committee, the INDIA bloc has also announced a 19-member campaign committee, a 12-member Working Group for Social Media, 19-member Working Group for Media and an 11-member Working Group for Research.
Seat sharing at the state level is a thorny issue and it remains to be seen whether political rivals can thrash out a formula and abide by it. The AAP, for instance, released its first list of 10 candidates each for Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, states which have seen bipolar contests between the BJP and Congress.
In any case, it could be an indicator of the challenges that lie ahead for the multitude of parties that have come together and formed the bloc. In the Mumbai meeting, the 28 parties had adopted a resolution: “We, the INDIA parties, hereby resolve to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections together as far as possible. Seat-sharing arrangements in different states will be initiated immediately and concluded at the earliest in a collaborative spirit of give and take.”
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