The I.N.D.I. alliance could likely declare Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the convenor of the opposition bloc, as per multiple media reports. Citing sources, India Today reported that the opposition parties can hold a virtual meeting this week in which they will endorse this decision. Some media reports have also claimed that the meeting may take place today (Wednesday 3rd December).
According to the Times of India, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc could also appoint Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge as the chairperson of the alliance.
As per reports, Senior Congress leaders including Salman Khurshid are in touch with Nitish Kumar regarding this development. A Congress leader said that Rahul Gandhi had also reached out to Nitish last week amid media reports that the latter was miffed when the alliance didn’t declare him as the bloc’s PM candidate in the fourth meeting held in Delhi.
However, the Congress leader rejected the assertion that once appointed, the convenor will automatically become a candidate for the prime minister’s post. The leader said, “There is no precondition that the convenor will become the PM. The party with more seats can claim the post.”
On Tuesday (2nd January), the Congress party held a discussion with Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav over this proposed appointment, as per reports. Other alliance partners within the I.N.D.I.A. bloc have also been kept in the loop and taken into confidence.
As per sources, a prominent alliance partner Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, supports the idea of declaring Nitish Kumar as the alliance’s convenor. Furthermore, yesterday, Nitish Kumar spoke to Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), about the same.
Meanwhile, Senior JD(U) leaders neither confirmed the development nor denied it. Responding to a media query, JD(U) chief spokesperson KC Tyagi admitted that he too heard about the virtual meeting of INDIA bloc allies.
He said, “But we have not received any formal communication from the Congress about the declaration of the names of the bloc’s chairperson or convenor.”
It is important to note that the development comes at a time when the media had widely reported that several alliance partners within the opposition bloc particularly RJD and JD(U) – the ruling parties in Bihar were miffed when some alliance partners proposed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s name as the suitable candidate for Prime Minister from the alliance.
Notably, on 19th December, during the fourth meeting of I.N.D.I. alliance parties in Delhi, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee proposed Mallikarjun Kharge’s name as the prime ministerial candidate which was reportedly supported by AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal.
Furthermore, Mamata Banerjee’s proposal had fuelled speculations that there was internal turmoil in the Janata Dal (United) camp which also saw the unceremonious ouster of Lalan Singh as party chief.