The INDIA leaders meeting in New Delhi took a new turn when Mamta Bannerjee proposed the name of Mallikarjun Kharge as a potential candidate for the Prime Minister's position. Arvind Kejriwal expressed his support for this proposal. This information was disclosed by MDMK (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) MP Vaiko following the meeting. However, former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav refrained from commenting on the matter of the PM candidate. The meeting took place in Ashoka Hotel in Delhi.
When questioned by journalists, Kharge stated, "First and foremost, we need to secure the support of the people before considering this. We will work on it. There's no point discussing the PM candidate if we don't have MPs."
The meeting was attended by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, SP leader Akhilesh Yadav, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, and RLD's Jayant Chaudhary.
A total of 28 parties participated in the meeting. Mallikarjun Kharge mentioned after the meeting that 28 parties were involved in the fourth meeting. The leaders presented their perspectives to the alliance. It was agreed that everyone must work together or raise issues in the interest of the people. Additionally, it was decided to conduct at least 8-10 meetings across the country.
The meeting focused on the seat sharing arrangement for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. There were discussions about fielding common candidates on 400 seats against the BJP. Congress aims to field its candidates on 275 to 300 seats and is inclined to allocate only 200-250 seats to other parties.
The meeting deliberated on appointing a coordinator for INDIA, considering names such as Uddhav Thackeray, Mamata Banerjee, and Nitish Kumar. Strategies were devised regarding the issues to be addressed in response to BJP's agenda. In addition to opposing Modi and BJP, discussions were held on the plans devised by the INDIA bloc for the country.
INDIA leaders discussed the approach for the Lok Sabha elections once the candidates are finalized. This included the number and locations of rallies, selection of star campaigners, election campaign branding, and potential agency collaborations.
Prior to the meeting, Congress established a National Alliance Committee comprising five members for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The committee members include Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, Salman Khushind, and Mohan Prakash, with Mukul Wasnik appointed as the coordinator.