TMC To Miss INDIA's Coordination Committee Meet After Banerjee Was Reported To Be Upset Over Congress-Left Alliance

While the inaugural gathering of the Coordination Committee for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is set to convene in Delhi today (13 September), Trinamool Congress (TMC) will not be participating in it.

The reason cited is that TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is a member of this committee, has been summoned for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today. Furthermore, the TMC has decided not to send any representatives to the gathering.

Notably, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was reported to be "upset" over the Congress and the Left alliance in the state, who are also part of the INDIA bloc.

However, Abhishek Banerjee attacked "the 56-inch chest model" for his absence at the meeting in an X post.

The meeting will be held at the residence of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar in the evening. Another party, Janata Dal (Secular), will be absent from the meeting as it decided to ally with the BJP.

Those expected to attend the meeting include K C Venugopal (Congress), T R Baalu (DMK), Hemant Soren (JMM), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena – UBT), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Raghav Chaddha (AAP), Javed Ali Khan (SP), Lallan Singh (JD-U), D Raja (CPI), Omar Abdullah (NC), and Mehbooba Mufti (PDP).

The primary agenda for discussion includes seat allocation and the joint campaign plan for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Initial conversations on devising the seat-sharing mechanism are expected to occur during this gathering.

While the Coordination Committee will explore the proposed joint rally plan from the alliance's campaign committee, leaders from various parties such as the TMC, JD(U), RJD, Samajwadi Party (SP), and AAP believe that seat allocation remains the "central issue." They are urging the alliance to expedite the process of finalising the formula upon which this allocation will be based.

Earlier, during the third meeting of the INDIA bloc held in Mumbai on 1 September, a 14-member coordination committee was introduced. While the identities of 13 committee members have been disclosed, one member's name remains undisclosed. The Opposition is yet to designate a convener for the committee.