'INDIA' Coalition Gears Up for Third Meeting in Mumbai: What To Expect?

The Opposition bloc had held their first meeting in Patna, and then gathered again in Bengaluru.

The INDIA coalition's third meeting in three months is set to get underway in Mumbai over the next two days.

(Photo: PTI)

The INDIA coalition's third meeting in three months is set to get underway in Mumbai over the next two days.

On the cards: Around 63 representatives from 28 political parties will be attending the meet, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar said at a press conference on Wednesday, 30 August.

• Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray will host a dinner for the visiting dignitaries on 31 August, The Times of India had reported.

• The meeting is slated to take place the next day and will reportedly be followed up with a press conference.

The agenda: At the meeting, the multi-party group is expected to decide on a coordination committee and pick a logo for the alliance.

Playing host: While Sharad Pawar's NCP camp will be organising the reception for the dignitaries, Shiv Sena (UBT) is incharge of the logistics, the TOI report added.

Why it matters: At Wednesday's press conference, former Maharashtra CM and Congress leader Ashok Chavan said that in 2019, non-BJP parties got 23 crore votes, while BJP got 22 crore. “If we work together, we can win,” he added, according to news agency PTI.

Know more: In response to specific queries at the press conference, Sharad Pawar said that there has been no discussion on seat sharing within the INDIA coalition.

• Asked about Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati opting to stay out of INDIA, Pawar said, "It is not known on whose side she is. Earlier she has had dialogue with BJP."

• On the group's PM candidate, Thackeray said, "We have many choices for PM candidates. But what choice does BJP have, except one."

Some context: The Opposition bloc held their first meeting in Patna back in June, and then they huddled again in Bengaluru last month.

• The name of the alliance – the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or 'INDIA' for short – is mainly what came out of the talks in Bengaluru.

• A joint resolution had also been drafted by the 26 parties, which resolved to "save the democratic fabric of India."

Flip side: This alliance will not work because the I.N.D.I.A. is without a captain, NCP's (Ajit Pawar Camp) Brijmohan Shrivastav told News18.