Gandhi’s roadshow is seen as muscle flexing exercises as allies start seat-sharing negotiations.
MUMBAI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will hold a roadshow after the conclusion of the third huddle of newly-formed INDIA alliance in Mumbai on Friday.
The roadshow comes at a time when alliance constituents rush to pitch their leaders as a potential candidate to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections next year. Gandhi is considered the frontrunner in this race.
The roadshow will start from the Grand Hyatt hotel, the venue of the opposition leaders’ meeting, and culminate at the state Congress party office. Sonia Gandhi, the former Congress president, is also expected to accompany his son during the event.
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The roadshow by Gandhi, which follows his bike trip to Ladakh, is seen as a show of strength by the Congress party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections – when India’s oldest mainstream party will look to unseat PM Modi with the help of its alliance partners, an uphill task by admission of opposition leaders themselves.
At their third meeting, which follows their huddles in Patna and Bengaluru, 26 opposition parties led by Congress will discuss a joint strategy for the 2024 general elections. The meeting is expected to focus on the selection of candidates, seat sharing, and the coordination of campaigning.
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“We will create a framework for the selection of candidates and decide which states will have the responsibility of holding joint rallies,” a leader attending the meeting told The New Indian.
The meeting is also expected to discuss the formation of a coordination committee and the appointment of convenors for the general election.
Interestingly, the BJP, the ruling party at the Centre, is also holding a meeting on Friday to discuss its strategy for the 2024 general election. The meeting will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders.