“Who will become the Prime Minister is the matter for later”: Mamata Banerjee proposes Mallikarjun Kharge as potential PM Face, Congress President defers decision

The INDIA bloc met in New Delhi for the fourth chapter of the mega-alliance meeting on Tuesday. As per reports, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee floated the idea of Congress President Mallickarjun Kharge’s name as the potential PM face, and she was backed by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, however, Kharge politely turned down the proposal.  After the meeting, the leaders of the Opposition bloc have unanimously maintained that the alliance is working towards a joint plan of action in the months leading up to the all-important 2024 general elections.

After the meeting, Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to the press on behalf of the Opposition parties and maintained that the appointment of a PM candidate lies in the alliance’s post-poll victory agenda.  "We have to win first. We have to think about how we will win. Who will become the Prime Minister is the matter for later. What's the use of discussing a PM face if there are no MPs? Hence, we will first work towards getting the majority unitedly." said Kharge.

Bonded under the banner of “Main Nahin, Hum”, Kharge said that the Opposition Bloc is working towards a common plan of action to take the BJP head-on at the 2024 general elections. "All parties have spoken in one voice on how the alliance should function in the future," the Congress President said at the Press Conference.

Speaking on the contentious issue of seat sharing, Kharge informed that it would be tackled at a state level; the central leaders will intervene only if the state leaders fail to formulate an amicable way out. As per reports, several political parties, including Trinamool Congress have fixed December 31 as the deadline for seat-sharing talks. Kharge also stated that the Opposition Alliance would be holding several meetings across the various states of the country in a bid to raise awareness.

28 parties attended the fourth meeting of the INDIA alliance. Leaders such as Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, Lalu Yadav, Nitish Kumar, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Arvind Kejriwal, MK Stalin, and Akhilesh Yadav were present at the meeting held at a crucial juncture, following Congress’defeat in 3 Hindi heartland states in the recent assembly elections. 

In addition, a joint resolution has also been passed condemning the suspension of the 141 MPs from the Parliament. On 22^nd December all India protests will take place against the suspension, announced Kharge.