Rahul Out, Kejriwal In: Cong Deletes Poster After Backlash Ahead of I.N.D.I.A Meet, Shares New One

After facing backlash over putting Rahul Gandhi at the forefront and skipping AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal from the poster of I.N.D.I.A bloc’s leaders, Congress on Wednesday deleted it and released another one which included Chief Ministers from Opposition-ruled states to take on the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Ahead of the Opposition’s big meeting in Mumbai on Thursday, the Congress shared a poster on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which Rahul Gandhi was purportedly shown as leading the I.N.D.I.A. alliance.

Barring Kejriwal, the old poster featured photos of Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, Hemant Soren, and Mallikarjun Kharge among others. The poster was deleted and the party put out a new one.

The latest poster included photos of Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann.

Speaking on the same, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the alliance has no mission and it has become a launch vehicle for Rahul Gandhi.

I.N.D.I.A. Meet in Mumbai

Key leaders of the anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bloc, which has more than two dozen parties, will gather in a luxury hotel in suburban Mumbai on August 31 and September 1 in what will be their third huddle since coming together on a common platform for the first time in June in Patna.

As many as 63 representatives from 28 political parties will attend the third meeting of the INDIA alliance meet on August 31 and September 1, NCP president Sharad Pawar said on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference here, Pawar expressed confidence that the opposition alliance will provide a formidable alternative to bring about political change.

Pawar said there has been no discussion on seat sharing within INDIA.

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole had said Sonia Gandhi will attend the INDIA alliance’s meet in Mumbai. He said the alliance’s official logo will be unveiled during the gathering, where opposition leaders will also discuss their agenda ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The first meeting of the bloc was held in June in Patna, while the second gathering in Bengaluru in July finalised its name — Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). The grouping has been formed with the aim of taking on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 parliamentary polls.

(with PTI inputs)