Kharge named INDIA bloc chief, Nitish Kumar declines convener role

In a notable development during a meeting excluding Trinamool Congress’s Mamata Banerjee, SP’s Akhilesh Yadav, and Shiv Sena’s (UBT) Uddhav Thackeray, leaders of key INDIA bloc parties gathered virtually on Saturday and appointed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge as the chairperson of the alliance. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was proposed as the convener, a suggestion he later declined, pending consultations with absent senior leaders.

Surprisingly, as per an Indian Express report, the proposal to appoint Kharge and Kumar came from Sitaram Yechury, the General Secretary of the CPM, a party at odds with Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. Despite the absence of Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, and Uddhav Thackeray, Yechury’s proposal was backed by CPI’s D Raja, with some suggesting consultation with the absent leaders.

Sources indicated that Akhilesh Yadav had conveyed his agreement before the meeting, but uncertainty remains about Mamata Banerjee’s stance. When approached, a senior Trinamool Congress leader offered no comments. Kumar appeared visibly upset when the suggestion to seek consent from absent leaders was made.

Lallan Singh, a senior JD(U) leader present at the virtual meeting, conveyed that Kumar was not aspiring to be the convener, a position JD(U) had publicly expressed before. Privately, JD(U) advocated for Kharge as chairperson and Kumar as convener, presenting a North-South combination to signal unity in the absence of a prime ministerial face for the bloc.

JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha later informed reporters that Kumar had “not given his consent” to the proposal. Some INDIA bloc party leaders claimed that Trinamool Congress was not enthusiastic about Kumar as the convener.

Speaking in Pune, Sharad Pawar mentioned that Kumar suggested forming a team of party chiefs instead of appointing a convener, emphasizing no need to project a face before the Lok Sabha polls.

The meeting, attended by leaders like Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, MK Stalin, Lalu Prasad, Sharad Pawar, Arvind Kejriwal, Hemant Soren, Yechury, and D Raja, discussed plans for joint rallies and urged INDIA allies to join Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra starting from Imphal on Sunday.

While Banerjee’s absence underscored the ongoing tussle between TMC and Congress in West Bengal, Kharge expressed satisfaction with the discussion. He invited INDIA parties to join the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and address social, political, and economic issues affecting the country.

On seat-sharing, the parties expressed a consensus to expedite the process. Sharad Pawar emphasized that the leader could be chosen after the elections, echoing the sentiment that emerged during the meeting. The INDIA bloc is gearing up for joint rallies across the country, and further details on seat-sharing in Maharashtra will be announced once finalized.

Mokokchung Times