INDIA bloc members hold 'informal' meet at Kharge’s residence ahead of exit polls

New Delhi, June 01: The members of the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc gathered at Congress President Mallikarujun Kharge’s residence on Saturday for an "informal" meet, hours ahead of exit polls.

The agenda of the meeting was not disclosed but the "informal meet" of more than 20 coalition partners is expected to discuss, debate and chart out the Opposition’s course of action ahead of the election results on June 4.

INDIA bloc members are also likely to deliberate on their respective performance in the long-drawn elections and also make an elaborate plan for counting day on June 4.

A day ago, Congress chief Kharge spoke about the need to stay alert and vigilant on the counting day. Top leaders of the alliance are likely to mull over this point.

The informal meeting of the Opposition parties comes a day after Congress declared it would boycott the exit polls and also skip the debates on exit polls.

The meeting, underway at Kharge’s residence in Delhi is being attended by top brass of all parties including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and more. Notably, the AAP national convenor has to surrender before the Tihar Jail on Sunday as his ‘interim bail’ granted by the Supreme Court ends on Saturday.

Those participating in the meet include Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, K. C. Venugopal (Congress), Akhilesh Yadav and ⁠Prof Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Sharad Pawar, Jitendra Awhad (NCP-SP), Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha (AAP), T. R. Baalu (DMK), Tejashwi Yadav and Sanjay Yadav (RJD), Jharkhande Chief Minister Champai Soren, and Kalpana Soren from JMM, Farooq Abdullah (NC), D. Raja (CPI), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Anil Desai (Shiv Sena-UBT), Dipankar Bhattacharya CPI-ML-L and Mukesh Sahani (VIP).

West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee gave the meeting a miss, citing the Cyclone Remal impact and the busy schedule due to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the state. Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin also skipped the meeting and DMK’s parliamentary party leader Baalu is representing him.