The coordination panel remains the main agenda of the third gathering to take place in Mumbai, with the first two sessions limited to expressing a collective intent to come together as an anti-BJP axis in Patna and adopting the name “INDIA” in Bengaluru.
Sources said the Mumbai session will witness substantive discussions on strategy and planning. While the coordination panel will be finalised, with individual parties providing names of their representatives, the bloc will in future name a convenor who will be the overall in-charge. “It is too late for Mumbai meeting to finalise a convenor, and it will surely be declared in the next meeting,” a senior leader said.
Bihar CM and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar is expected to emerge as the convenor by consensus, sources said.
Sources said the Mumbai session will also finalise a logo for the combine, and will declare a joint campaign programme to send out a nationwide message that the gathering is a serious attempt to challenge the BJP dispensation led by PM Narendra Modi. Joint rallies of INDIA parties are being planned in six states during the coming weeks as part of the campaign.
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Alliances formed with negativity have never succeeded: PM Narendra Modi
The Mumbai meeting, being organised by MVA alliance partners NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena (Thackeray) comes amid considerable speculation in the wake of split in Sharad Pawar’s party and uncertainty about the stance of the Pawar faction going into the future. While Pawar’s own statements have stoked confusion, the veteran leader has over the last few days asserted that he will not align with BJP and continue to strengthen the opposition. His rallies targeting BJP and the breakaway NCP faction have also soothed the nerves of the allies ahead of the opposition meeting.
The three partners have held joint discussions in recent days to finalise the logistics to ensure a smooth conclave.