The decision regarding the prime ministerial candidate for the INDIA bloc will be deferred until after the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, announced senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who heads the 27-party opposition coalition, on Friday.
Addressing the launch event of the party’s electoral manifesto, Gandhi emphasized that INDIA is currently engaged in an ideological electoral battle, and the selection of the prime ministerial nominee will be deliberated upon post-elections.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP are vying for a third consecutive term, the opposition alliance is yet to finalize its candidate for the nation’s highest office. During a previous INDIA meeting in December, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her counterpart from Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, had proposed the name of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge for the position. However, Kharge insisted that the coalition must secure a sufficient number of seats before making a claim to the PM’s post.
Gandhi also remarked that the forthcoming 2024 general elections would be more competitive than portrayed in the media. Despite numerous pre-election surveys predicting a resounding victory for the incumbent government, Gandhi drew parallels to the failed “India Shining” campaign of 2004.
Referring to the 2004 national polls, where the “India Shining” slogan of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led BJP government fell flat, Gandhi reminded that the Congress emerged as the largest single party, forming a coalition government, and subsequently securing reelection in 2009.
However, in 2014, Narendra Modi and the BJP assumed power, maintaining victory five years later. Presently, they are eyeing 370 seats independently and over 400 with allies in the 543-member Lok Sabha.
The Lok Sabha elections will be conducted in seven phases, commencing on April 19 and concluding on June 1. Vote counting for all 543 constituencies will take place on June 4.
Also Read: BJP Doesn’t Just Talk, It Delivers: PM Modi In Churu
