INDIA bloc leaders to meet on Wednesday on plans of govt formation

New Delhi: After the Lok Sabha election results, the INDIA bloc leaders will meet at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence on Wednesday evening to decide on their further strategy and whether to reach out to their former allies Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu for government formation.

Sources said top opposition leaders of the alliance would be meeting at 6 PM at the 10, Rajaji Marg residence of the Congress president where they would discuss their way forward.

The leaders will deliberate on the Lok Sabha poll results and on whether to bring on board the JDU and TDP in moving towards government formation.

Opposition leaders including Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, M K Stalin, Champai Soren, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav, Sitaram Yechury, D Raja and others are likely to attend the meeting, along with top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

While the BJP on its own fell short of a majority of its own, the BJP-led NDA which includes TDP, JDU and other parties has won or is ahead in around 290 seats.

The TDP and JDU have already dismissed suggestions about defecting to the opposition alliance and have clearly stated that they would remain with the NDA grouping, but the INDIA bloc wants to explore possibility of government formation.

Sources said the Congress and some other leaders are already in touch with them and are making their best efforts to win them over.

The opposition grouping may offer an olive branch to their erstwhile partners in wooing them back, which will help strengthen the INDIA grouping in staking their claim on government formation.

Rahul Gandhi has already stated clearly that they would not take any decision or say anything on government formation without holding consultations with the INDIA bloc partners.

He also refrained from commenting on whether they would reach out to TDP and JDU, saying it would be decided at the Wednesday meeting of the opposition INDIA Bloc.