Seat Sharing and Poll Strategy to be Discussed at Opposition Coordination Committee Meet

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 13th Sept. The first meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc’s Coordination Committee on Wednesday will focus on negotiations on the seat-sharing system and developing a broad campaign strategy ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The 14-member all-important opposition panel will meet here on September 13 evening at the residence of NCP leader Sharad Pawar.

According to sources, leaders of different opposition parties have asked for an early seat-sharing formula to be worked up in order to ensure that a joint candidate from the opposition is put up against BJP candidates in Lok Sabha seats.

However, many leaders have stated that the parties must “shed their egos” and “vested interests” in order to reach such an agreement.

While no decision has been made on the criterion, it is likely to be based on the performance of parties in recent polls on a certain seat.

According to a person informed with the proceedings, the matter of seat sharing will be addressed, albeit it may not be finalized at Wednesday’s meeting.

According to the sources, the leaders would also put out a broad outline of the electoral campaign to take on the BJP.

“Every political party will have to sacrifice three things to make this alliance successful – ambition (mahatvakanksha), difference of opinion (matbhed) and manbhed,” Chadha said.

The coordination cum election strategy committee of the opposition’s INDIA bloc has 14 members – K C Venugopal (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK), Hemant Soren (JMM), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena-UBT), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Raghav Chadha (AAP), Javed Ali Khan (SP), Lalan Singh (JD-U), D Raja (CPI), Omar Abdullah (National Conference), Mehbooba Mufti (PDP), Abhishek Banerjee (TMC), and a member from CPI-M.

Abhishek Banerjee, who was asked to appear before the Enforcement Directorate on the same day, will not attend the meeting.

The CPI-M has not yet nominated anyone to the committee and will also be absent from the meeting. According to party sources, the CPI-M’s Polit Bureau meeting on September 16-17 will decide who would represent the party.

At the first meeting of the Opposition bloc in Patna in June, it was decided that the strongest candidate from each seat would be picked for the Lok Sabha polls.

The decision, released on September 1 during the bloc’s third meeting, said that the parties will contest elections together “as far as possible,” and that seat sharing arrangements in each state would be “initiated immediately” and finalized “as soon as possible.”

While some states, such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Bihar, are sorted, others, such as Delhi, Punjab, and West Bengal, are expected to be difficult.

The meeting will also concentrate on finalizing campaigns and rallies that will take place in the next few days.

Leaders will also consider the decisions made in meetings of several sub-groups such as the campaign committee, media working group, research sub-group, and social media sub-group.

“A final shape will be given to the agenda including what would be the programmes and where the campaign will be held. It will all be deliberated upon,” a source said.

Over a dozen opposition parties have joined together to form the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) with the aim to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.