NEW DELHI: Post the results, it will be discussed if the I.N.D.I.A bloc will continue or not, say sources.
The Opposition bloc, Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) met at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Saturday, to take stock of their own preparations leading up to 4 June, when the results of the Lok Sabha elections will be declared. They claimed that their formation would get more than 295 seats, enough for them to form the next government.
Addressing the media after a two-and-a-half-hour discussion, Kharge asserted that the I.N.D.I Alliance has arrived at the figure (295+) after feedback from the people. According to leaders, the party chiefs dwelled on a host of issues, including the precautions to be taken on counting day on 4 June. Kharge moreover said that alliance partners have instructed their party workers not to leave the counting halls till all formalities are completed. The Congress president added, “This is a survey of people. People have given this information to our leaders. The government surveys are there and their media friends also inflate figures and put it out. Therefore, we want to tell you about the reality. They are trying to give a narrative through government exit polls and we want to tell the people the truth.”
Kharge said that the opposition parties have sought time from the Election Commission on Sunday to raise their concerns and urge the poll body to address these. I.N.D.I Alliance parties have also given instructions to their workers about Form 17C, which contains the details of votes polled at booths, that they will not leave the counting hall until they get the certificate of election.
Party insiders suggest that a proposal had also been forwarded before the meeting that the current members should remain united even if the bloc does not form government, so that the parties could take a united stand against the Bharatiya Janata Party. An official with the All India Congress Committee (AICC) said, “There will be another meeting of the Opposition bloc after the results and then it will be decided whether the formation should remain intact or not. They will try to conduct the meeting sooner after the results. And a lot will depend on the number of seats the Opposition gets.”
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was of the view that after taking feedback from everywhere they believed that the I.N.D.I.A bloc would win more than 295 seats, while the BJP would get around 220 seats. Kejriwal said, “The NDA, meanwhile, will get around 235 seats. The I.N.D.I.A bloc is moving forward to form a strong government.” Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav said, “The I.N.D.I.A bloc is going to form the government. He (PM) has gone to see the sea and he has his back towards the people, who are now against him”.
Apart from Kharge, Congress’ top leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, K.C. Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were also present at the meeting. The representatives of other bloc members such as Samajwadi Party, CPI(M), CPI, DMK, JMM, AAP, RJD, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (Sharad Pawar) were also present at the meeting. TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had already said they would not attend the meeting as polling was to take place in some Lok Sabha seats in the state. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti did not attend the meeting due to personal reasons. Moreover, the Opposition leaders who attended the meeting included Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Anil Desai, Sitaram Yechury, Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha, Champai Soren, Kalpana Soren, T.R. Baalu, Farooq Abdullah, D. Raja, Dipankar Bhattacharya, Jitendra Awhad and Mukesh Sahani.