The leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc will hold discussions today virtually to deliberate on important issues like seat-sharing and participation in the upcoming Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, an outreach programme led by senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said that the meeting will be convened over Zoom at 11.30am.

“INDIA party leaders will be meeting over Zoom tomorrow January 13th, 2024 at 11:30 am. They will review various issues like seat-sharing talks that have begun, participation in Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra that will begin from Thoubal near Imphal day after tomorrow, and other important matters,” Ramesh said in a social media post on X.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee will not be part of the virtual meeting on Saturday morning as she is preoccupied with prior engagements, reported PTI citing people aware of the development.

With as many as 28 opposition parties united under the banner of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), the discussions hold significant importance in determining their approach to contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The INDIA party, formed with the primary goal of challenging and defeating the BJP in the 2024 elections, faces challenges within the alliance, including the contentious appointment of a convenor. The JD(U) wants Nitish Kumar as the convenor which is being opposed by Mamata Banerjee’s TMC, reported PTI.

On Friday, senior AAP leaders and the Congress held talks on seat-sharing arrangements in key states, including Delhi and Punjab, for the upcoming general elections and decided to meet again. The meeting, held at the residence of senior Congress leader Mukul Wasnik, lasted for over two hours.

Congress leader Salman Khurshid, who is part of the seat-sharing committee of the Congress, said they had a wonderful meeting.

“We discussed everything under the Sun. We have very good chemistry, we open-heartedly shared everything that we believed would make our bonds stronger. It was a wonderful meeting and I believe we went much further than our expectations,” he told reporters after the meeting.

AAP leaders, including Raghav Chadha, Atishi, Sandeep Pathak, and Saurabh Bharadwaj, participated in the meeting.