Mumbai (Maharashtra): The two-day third meeting of the INDIA alliance against the BJP government at the Centre will be held from Thursday. Preparations for this important meeting have been completed.
It is expected that the name of the coordinator post of the India Alliance will be announced after the unveiling of the logo during the meeting in the megacity, which is being hosted by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah has arrived in Mumbai. Earlier on Tuesday, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav arrived here for this meeting.
Speaking to the media, Farooq Abdullah said that there should be no rush for allotment of seats. Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati has reiterated that her party will not join the alliance. She said in a tweet that most of the parties in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and India Alliance are anti-poor, communalist, and have capitalist policies. "BSP is constantly fighting against their policies. There is no question of contesting elections in alliance with them," she added.
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The Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA), which comprises the Shiv Sena, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will brief reporters about the two-day meeting at around 4 PM at Hotel Grand Hyatt in suburban Vakola, the meeting's venue. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Nana Patole, Congress legislature party leader Balasaheb Thorat, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress working committee member Ashok Chavan will brief the reporters.
The preparations for the meeting were going on for the last 15 days.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had said that 26 anti-BJP parties will be present for the meeting in Mumbai. Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Chief Ministers of seven Congress-ruled states are expected to attend the meeting.
Sources said that Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, is likely to be nominated for the post of convenor of the alliance. It is also expected that the parties will discuss the seat-sharing formula for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which they have decided to fight together against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The first meeting of the INDIA alliance had taken place in Patna, Bihar and was hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The second meeting took place in Bengaluru and was hosted by the Congress.
