On Tuesday, the supremo of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Lalu Yadav, announced that the meeting of the opposition bloc, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), is scheduled to take place on December 17.
Initially planned for Wednesday, the meeting was deferred after key leaders, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, decided not to attend.
Sources from the Congress revealed that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin would be unable to travel to the meeting due to the closure of the Chennai airport caused by Cyclone Michaung. Nitish Kumar was reportedly unwell, while Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav communicated prior commitments.
The Congress had initially called for the INDIA partners' meeting in New Delhi on December 6. This gathering follows the Bharatiya Janata Party's significant victories in the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, where they defeated the Congress in two states.
The INDIA coalition, led by the Indian National Congress, was formed to challenge the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The alliance was established during an opposition party meeting in Bengaluru in July 2023.
The previous opposition meeting, hosted by Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray, saw the presence of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and chief ministers from five states. During the two-day discussions, the alliance addressed significant electoral issues for the upcoming general elections, established the coordination committee, and passed a three-point resolution to collectively contest the 2024 Indian general elections 'as far as possible.'
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