Congress National Alliance Committee meeting begins with UP leaders in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Congress's National Alliance Committee meeting has started to discuss Congress's claim for seats in Uttar Pradesh in the INDIA alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

The committee coordinator and members Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, and Salman Khurshid are present in the meeting underway in the national capital. Uttra Pradesh Congress in-charge Avinash Pandey and Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra were present in the meeting. Congress UP President Ajay Rai joined the meeting virtually.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had been continuously saying that the BJP-led NDA would be defeated in next year's general elections by "PDA", which he defined as "Pichde Dalit Alpasankhyak".

"Removing the BJP from Uttar Pradesh means withdrawing of BJP from the country. Defeat 80, remove BJP, and socialist people are working on this slogan. Only PDA will compete with NDA," Yadav said on Friday.

A day after the Congress rang in key organisational changes, close on the heels of the party setting up a panel to iron out all thorny issues with partners in the INDIA bloc going into next year's Lok Sabha polls, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday said the high command will hold discussions with leaders of other leaders and explore seat-sharing possibilities before carrying forward talks with the Bloc partners.

Speaking to ANI after attending the inaugural meeting of the Congress's National Alliance Committee, of which he is a member, Baghel said, "I attended the inaugural meeting of our National Alliance Committee today alongside Ashok Gehlot, Mukul Wasnik and Mohan Prakash. We will hold discussions with the presidents of those states where we could reach an understanding (on allocation of seats) with like-minded partners. The high command will be briefed about these meetings ahead of further discussions within the INDIA bloc."

The inaugural meeting of the National Alliance Committee was held in the national capital on December 24.

Congress formed the five-member NAC earlier this week, with Wasnik as convenor and veteran leaders including former Rajasthan CM Gehlot, Baghel, former Union minister Salman Khurshid, and Mohan Prakash as members.

The panel is mandated to hold discussions on potential state-based alliances and seat-sharing deals with other political parties for the Lok Sabha elections next year.

While the INDIA partners came together for their fourth meeting in Delhi on Tuesday, the prickly seat-sharing issue was left unaddressed.

However, fresh from being routed in the key heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, a convergence among all INDIA partners on seat-sharing has become all the more important ahead of the next general elections.

At its fourth meeting on December 19, the Bloc passed a resolution against the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the Lok Sabha polls and on the bulk suspension of Opposition MPs from Parliament during the just-concluded Winter Session.

Addressing a joint media briefing after the meeting on Tuesday, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge said all partners agreed that the suspension of MPs is undemocratic.

The meeting took place in the backdrop of the escalating war of words between the Centre and the Opposition over the suspension row and ruckus in Parliament over the demand for a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the December 13 security breach incident.

The committee coordinator and members Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, and Salman Khurshid are present in the meeting underway in the national capital.The fourth meeting of the alliance saw the attendance of 28 parties.