Seat adjustment emerges a key challenge for Oppn bloc
Sonia Gandhi said that whatever issues the leaders might agree to on Tuesday, “now we will have seat adjustments at the state level”
New Delhi: Finally, it was left to former Congress president and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, no stranger to coalition herself, to remind everyone at the Bengaluru meeting of 26 opposition parties of the key task facing them: seat adjustments to field as many common candidates as possible in the 2024 election.

In her brief intervention of about two minutes, Gandhi said that whatever issues the leaders might agree to on Tuesday, “now we will have seat adjustments at the state level.”
Rahul Gandhi assured the other parties that the Congress would “accommodate” others “as much as possible”, hinting that it is willing to share more seats to the allies.
According to a senior leader present at the meeting, Sonia Gandhi’s intervention was important as all other leaders were more or less focused on ideological battle against the BJP and the broader issues that the opposition’s grouping-in-the-making (now christened I.N.D.I.A) would have to address.
The meeting skirted the potentially contentious discussion on the leader of the alliance. A Congress leader later said, “The alliance is unlikely to project anyone as the prime ministerial face or the leader before the election. There is a broad understanding that the issue of leadership will arise only if the alliance gets favourable results in the polls.”
Before the meeting started, Sonia Gandhi had a long chat with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. A Trinamool functionary said the two leaders spoke about the old days and their association when Lalu Prasad chipped in.
“Prasad recommended that in Bengal, the Congress shouldn’t attack Banerjee and instead focus on building a grand alliance,” this person added.
“ Prasad also reiterated his suggestion (made in the Patna meeting of 15 opposition parties on June 23 that Rahul Gandhi should get married.”
Several leaders spoke about protecting the idea of India and how to protect the country from the BJP. Some leaders also pointed out that the BJP’s efforts to resurrect NDA shows that it is nervous about Opposition unity. To be sure, the BJP was dismissive of the alliance.
“When an alliance is formed due to compulsion of power, when an alliance is with the intention of corruption, when an alliance is based on dynastic politics, when an alliance is formed keeping in mind casteism and regionalism, then that alliance is very harmful to the country,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a meeting of NDA leaders in New Delhi.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar tried to demonstrate how the NDA government’s policies have led to higher unemployment and price rise. He also cautioned that using the word “Democratic” to represent D in I.N.D..I.A (the original suggestion was that the grouping be called Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance before D became Developmental) might confuse people as the BJP’s NDA also has the same word. While a number of leaders still insisted on putting Democracy in INDIA, a few Congress strategists suggested using the word Developmental.
“The Congress and Sharad Pawar realised that Kumar had a point and an alternative word was found,” said a Congress functionary.
In the resolution released at the end of the meeting the parties vowed to protect the Constitution, expressed concern over happenings in Manipur, denounced the misuse of agencies and Governors by the BJP and crimes against minorities, tribals, Dalits, and women, and highlighted the issues of inflation and unemployment.
The show now moves to Mumbai, where the alliance hopes to create a co-ordination committee of 11 people and also pick a convener. That promises to be interesting.
