• Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Fourth INDIA bloc meeting today

    National
    Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Fourth INDIA bloc meeting today
    In order to oppose the ruling BJP in the forthcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, opposition party leaders are finding it difficult to put together a competing united agenda.

    Digital Desk: The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc is set to hold its fourth meeting today, December 19, in New Delhi. It is expected that the main agenda items will be the distribution of seats in important states, which has a deadline of December 31, and a review of the overall approach in light of previous Assembly polling setbacks.

    In order to oppose the ruling BJP in the forthcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, opposition party leaders are finding it difficult to put together a competing united agenda.

    According to The Indian Express, a section in the opposition has called for swift seat-sharing agreements before December 31 to concentrate on developing a coordinated campaign strategy and presenting a shared platform to the voters.

    The INDIA bloc's current priority is reaching an agreement on the selection of a convener, a spokesman, and the creation of a joint secretariat. However, because of the current divisions among the alliance's members, this proves challenging.

    The opposition parties are under pressure to put up a united front as a result of the BJP's recent victories in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

    Reports suggest that the Samajwadi Party and the DMK are very close to finalising their agreements with Congress about seat-sharing. The Samajwadi Party's readiness to provide eight seats in Uttar Pradesh, a proposal the Congress wants to increase, is still problematic, according to The Indian Express.

    The Samajwadi Party's Shivpal Yadav voiced optimism on Sunday, stating, "The INDIA alliance will unitedly accomplish the task of removing BJP from the country," in spite of the continued difficulties with seat-sharing and choosing a prime minister pick.

    States like West Bengal, Kerala, Punjab, and Delhi, however, continue to be contentious issues because neither side is prepared to concede. In light of the caste census's lack of resonance with voters in state contests, INDIA bloc leaders are considering a different approach. Election campaigns have reevaluated their strategies after past attempts to draw attention to the caste census during state elections did not produce the expected outcomes.

    Proposals for joint opposition demonstrations also call for a fast conclusion, because previous attempts, such as the October one in Bhopal, were called off.

    Undeterred by recent losses, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge says he has a good agenda going ahead and would focus on people's needs in the fight against the BJP's comeback under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    The five state assembly elections briefly suspended all activity, therefore this is the INDIA bloc's first gathering in three months.
    The 27 participating parties issued resolutions for a unified front in the next Lok Sabha elections during the first conference, which took place in Patna on June 23, and sessions in Bengaluru on July 17–18 and Mumbai on August 31–September 1.