Mumbai: INDIA alliance’s logo unveiling would be postponed, says Maharashtra opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar

Wadettiwar claimed that the "one nation, one election" move is being pushed due to the INDIA alliance meeting.

The leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, on Friday said that the unveiling of the opposition INDIA alliance's logo would be postponed. Instead, the discussion will center around establishing various coordination committees.

Wadettiwar claimed that the "one nation, one election" move is being pushed due to the INDIA alliance meeting.

The third meeting of the INDIA alliance is currently underway at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai, with 63 representatives from 28 political parties participating.

Earlier, all the participants gathered for a group photo before commencing their formal discussions.

Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said talks will be held on the formation of coordination committees and appointing a convenor. "It will be known after the meeting if a decision has been arrived at,'' he said.

During an informal meeting of the alliance partners held at the hotel on Thursday, most leaders stressed the need to discuss seat sharing at the national level and finalising the process of poll preparations as soon as possible.

Also read: Opposition INDIA alliance gathers in Mumbai for key meeting ahead of Lok Sabha elections

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Jammu and Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah, former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and CPI general secretary D Raja had arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday for the meeting.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and others arrived on Thursday.

The informal meeting of all the leaders on Thursday evening was followed by a dinner hosted by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. It was learnt that during the informal meeting, the leaders deliberated on fixing the agenda of the formal meeting on Friday when key decisions about the alliance's future strategy would be taken.

Thackeray, Kejriwal and some other leaders described the informal meeting as good.

Kejriwal said his party demanded that seat-sharing across the country be discussed at the meeting on Friday.

Ahead of the crucial third round of discussions, the alliance has exuded confidence that it would provide a formidable alternative to bring a political change in the country and asserted that it has several prime ministerial faces, unlike the BJP.

Several leaders of the alliance on Thursday said they have come together to save the Constitution and democracy in the country, and would evolve a common programme as they prepare to take on the ruling BJP.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said defeating the INDIA alliance was not only difficult but impossible.

Former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav said the need of the hour is to strengthen the unity and sovereignty of the country, and to protect the Constitution and democracy.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said the formation of the INDIA alliance was aimed at saving the country, while his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren said parties taking part in the meeting will deliberate on their views about the country, its democracy and the Constitution.

CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury claimed that people's response to INDIA has "unnerved" the prime minister and the BJP.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP and Congress has formed several committees to plan various aspects of the meeting of the opposition bloc. This is the first meeting of the INDIA alliance in a state where none of the bloc members are in power.

After the meeting, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit Tilak Bhavan, the party's state unit headquarters here, to meet leaders and workers, party sources said. (Agencies)