West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday proposed Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s name for the I.N.D.I.A. bloc’s PM candidate. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal has also backed the proposal. The meeting was organized so that the bloc finalizes its seat-sharing by December 31.
“He can be India’s first Dalit Prime Minister,” Ms. Banerjee was quoted as saying by a senior Opposition leader.
When Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal endorsed the Congress chief’s name as the first Dalit prime ministerial choice, Mr. Kharge intervened to assert that he had never used his Dalit identity.
#WATCH | On PM face for INDIA bloc, TMC's Mamata Banerjee says, "I have proposed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's name. Arvind Kejriwal supported my proposal." pic.twitter.com/73pS7xTPrW
— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2023
During a press conference to communicate the decisions of the INDIA bloc, Mr. Kharge stated that the determination of the prime ministerial candidate would be made post the election.
“First we have to win and get a majority, then MPs will decide democratically,” Mr. Kharge told reporters when asked if he could be the Opposition’s PM face.
This was the INDIA bloc’s fourth gathering in Delhi, with the participation of 28 parties, the meeting lasted over two hours, and at the meeting, it was unanimously decided to organize joint protests on December 22, in response to the widespread suspension of Opposition MPs during the Winter session of Parliament.
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The INDIA bloc also adopted a resolution that expressed doubts about the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and suggested that voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips should be handed over to the voters.
“Instead of the VVPAT slip falling in the box, it should be handed over to the voter who shall then place it in a separate ballot box after having verified his or her choice. 100% counting of VPAT slips should then be done,” the resolution said.
The meeting also saw an in-principle agreement that a group of top leaders from the Congress, Trinamool, DMK, AAP, JD(U), RJD, Shiv Sena, NCP, CPI(M), JMM and the RJD would oversee the seat-sharing between the INDIA constituents.
Mr. Kharge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, and CPI general secretary D. Raja were among the senior leaders who were present at the press conference.
However, unlike previous meetings, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief M.K. Stalin, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Ms. Banerjee, and Mr. Kejriwal were not part of the press conference.
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