More than two dozen Indian opposition parties said on Tuesday that they had joined hands to form an alliance called “INDIA” to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in parliamentary elections next year.
The decision was announced at the end of a two-day meeting of 26 parties in the southern city of Bengaluru. Mallikarjun Kharge, president of the main opposition Congress party, said INDIA stood for “Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance”. In a joint press conference held by opposition parties part of the alliance, Kharge said “together, we will solve many problems of the country,” according to Indian news website The Quint. The report further quoted him as saying that an 11-member coordination committee of the alliance would be set up soon.
“The next meeting will be held in Mumbai where the 11 committee members will be elected,” he said, adding that the panel and opposition leaders would also discuss and reach a consensus on seat-sharing in next year’s elections in the Mumbai meeting. In a video of the occasion shared on the Congress party’s Twitter, he was seen hailing the alliance a “great achievement for us”. “We have gathered here to save our democracy and the constitution.
