The third meeting of the Opposition INDIA alliance is set to take place in Mumbai, with the formation of a coordination committee and the architecture of the grouping on the agenda.
- Top leaders from 28 opposition parties across the country gathered in Mumbai for informal talks on Thursday evening, ahead of a focused discussion on a roadmap to challenge the Narendra Modi-led BJP government in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
- However, the government’s surprise decision to convene a special session of Parliament from September 18 to 22 caught the opposition leaders off guard, sparking speculation about the possibility of advancing the Lok Sabha elections due in April-May 2024.
The surprise move by the government led to a sense of urgency among the opposition parties, who decided to announce several committees, including a coordination committee, to plan joint public programmes, research and analysis, common spokespersons, and identifying common issues.
- While the agenda for the special Parliament session remains unclear, there is speculation that the government may initiate the process for simultaneous elections in the country or the Women’s Reservation Bill.
- However, some government officials ruled out these possibilities as an agenda for a special session, especially when the opposition is uniting and is unlikely to cooperate with the government to push through major legislation.
The special session will follow the G20 Summit on September 9-10 in New Delhi and is expected to be an occasion for the government to showcase its successes in various sectors, including the hosting of the global summit and the Chandrayaan-3 Moon mission, before the year-end Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram.
In Rajasthan, amid ongoing turmoil in the BJP, party stalwart and ex-CM Vasundhara Raje remains in the spotlight as the faction-ridden party unit attempts to challenge the ruling Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in the upcoming Assembly polls. Raje is set to visit several temples as part of a day-long religious tour, a routine practice for her, but one that also serves as an occasion to mobilize her supporters across the state.
The BJP recently announced two key poll panels, the manifesto and election management committees, without including Raje in either of them.
- Meanwhile, in Haryana, CM Manohar Lal Khattar will flag off a cyclothon campaign against the drug menace, which will traverse all districts before concluding in Yamunanagar on September 25.
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