Seat Sharing for 2024, Regional Parties, Coordination Panel Likely Agendas at INDIA’s Mumbai Meet

Seat-sharing formula for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections is likely to be discussed at the upcoming meet of I.N.D.I.A (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1, according to highly placed sources.

Though the opposition parties have come together under the banner of ‘INDIA’ but there are frictions over issue of seat sharing. What formula should be worked out will be a challenge for INDIA as issues of all state-based parties are different hence bringing a uniform formula could be tough.

The challenges the regional parties face in fighting off the BJP will also get discussed at the Mumbai meet.

In the backdrop of the splits in the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra, the delegates may also discuss a strategy to prevent more such divisions in parties in other states. Hence, the focus will be on keeping the regional parties intact to strengthen the INDIA alliance.

The alliance also wants to set up a coordination committee for smooth functioning and communication among the parties, the sources said. The structure of the committee and who will be its members may also get discussed in the Mumbai meeting. If require, the delegates may further decide on who will lead the coordination committee.

A pitch has been made to have a 11-member coordination committee for the INDIA alliance. According to sources, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) have their reservations against Congress leading the coordination committee.

It is likely that the leaders of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – Shiv Sena UBT’s Uddhav Thackeray, NCP’s Sharad Pawar, Ashok Chavan and Nana Patole will hold a press conference today at Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai to reveal the agenda of the INDIA meeting.

The focus of the meeting will also be on NCP after the Ajit Pawar’s rebellion, while Sharad Pawar still maintains that there is no split in the party. The onus lies on the senior Pawar to clear the air at the meet.

According to sources, Shiv Sena UBT leaders want Mumbai to be the last of INDIA meeting after which the partners should start taking action in their state to do aggressive campaigns against the BJP for the upcoming elections in the country.