INDIA's first coordination committee meeting in Delhi, seat-sharing on agenda
The coordination committee of the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is set to hold its first meeting in Delhi on Wednesday. The 14-member panel will meet at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar's Delhi residence, where they are expected to discuss the formula for finalizing the seat-sharing arrangement and poll strategy for the upcoming elections.
Why does this story matter?
Around two dozen opposition parties have joined forces to form the INDIA bloc to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming state assembly polls and Lok Sabha elections. The opposition bloc held meetings earlier in Patna, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. However, seat-sharing to field joint candidates, which will prevent the division of votes, has remained elusive despite being the central issue for the alliance to work successfully.
Who is on coordination committee
The coordination committee members include KC Venugopal (Congress), TR Baalu (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), Hemant Soren (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena-UBT), Tejashwi Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal), and Raghav Chadha (Aam Aadmi Party). Javed Ali Khan (Samajwadi Party), Lalan Singh (Janata Dal-United), D Raja (Communist Party of India), Omar Abdullah (National Conference), Mehbooba Mufti (People's Democratic Party), Abhishek Banerjee (Trinamool Congress), and a member from the Communist Party of India-Marxist CPI(M) are also in the 14-member committee.
Abhishek Banerjee to skip meeting
However, Banerjee won't attend the meeting since the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned him on the same day to investigate the "money laundering angle" in connection with the alleged West Bengal teachers' recruitment scam. The ED is also probing the alleged cattle smuggling and coal pilferage scams in West Bengal, also linked to TMC leaders. The TMC hasn't nominated any member to fill in for Banerjee, and the CPI(M) also hasn't decided on any representative.
Set personal differences aside: Raghav Chadha
Meanwhile, AAP's Raghav Chadha emphasized that political parties must sacrifice ambition, differences of opinion, and personal grudges to make the alliance successful. The coordination committee will discuss reaching out to people, planning joint rallies, and working out door-to-door campaigns, which will vary by state. The INDIA bloc is also trying to avoid the "anti-Hindu" tag following DMK leader and Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin's remark calling for the eradication of Sanatan Dharma.
