New Delhi: Opposition leaders have begun to gather in Mumbai for the INDIA bloc’s third meeting on 31 August and 1 September, and are expected to concretise their strategy for the general elections next May.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut said Wednesday that his party was the host of the third INDIA meeting, along with state partners the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress.
“All preparations are done. Leaders have started arriving… They are being welcomed according to the grand traditions of Maharashtra,” Raut said.
The INDIA bloc’s first meeting was held in Patna in June, and the second took place in Bengaluru mid-July.
The Bengaluru conclave had finalised the name of the bloc — Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
In July, the alliance had said in a statement that the BJP was assaulting the character of the republic and pledged to “safeguard the idea of India as enshrined in the Constitution”.
The new grouping will unveil their logo in the Mumbai meeting. “The logo will symbolise the country, its unity, and reflect the energy needed to keep the country together,” Raut had said Monday.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said a few more political parties were expected to join the 26-party bloc, but did not name the new entrants. Raut has hinted these political parties might be from the Northeast.
Meanwhile, the BJP-led Maharashtra government has also announced a two-day meet on those days to review all 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
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