New Delhi/IBNS: The INDIA bloc, after cancelling the mega meeting of its top leaders Wednesday, hosted a dinner meeting of its floor leaders at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharges place.
The big meeting was postponed to the third week of December after several key leaders, including Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said they were not available for Wednesdays meeting.
Floor leaders of 17 parties met this evening and discussed steps to improve coordination in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections next year.
Among those present at the hour-long meeting were Congresss Rahul Gandhi, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Pramod Tiwari, K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh.
The Opposition leaders present included Mahua Majhi of JMM, Vaiko of MDMK, NK Premachandran of RSP, Binoy Viswam of CPI, Lalan Singh of JDU, Ram Gopal Yadav and ST Hasan of Samajwadi Party, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, AAPs Raghav Chadha, Vandana Chavan of NCP and Tiruchi Siva of DMK.
Mamata Banerjees Trinamool Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena did not attend the meeting today.
The meeting was called by the Congress after its defeat to the BJP in three heartland states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — in the recently concluded assembly polls. Opposition leaders, however, said it was not a defeat of the INDIA bloc.
The defeat has drawn focus on the Congresss refusal to share seats with the Samajwadi Party in Madhya Pradesh. Leaders from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Janata Dal (United), Aam Aadmi Party, Trinamool Congress and Omar Abdullahs National Conference have said the Congress should be more accommodating when it comes to its regional allies.
The alliance arrangement is expected to work on a one-on-one basis, meaning only one Opposition candidate will be fielded against a BJP candidate.
