New logo, more members: What to expect during INDIA’s Mumbai conclave | India News

NEW DELHI: Opposition bloc INDIA will be holding a two-day conclave in Mumbai starting August 31, where the coalition is expected to reveal its logo and deliberate on strategic issues such as seat sharing in upcoming assembly polls as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Which parties will join bloc
Ahead of the third meeting of the alliance, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said a few more political parties were likely to join the 26-party bloc during the conclave.
However, the JD(U) leader, who played an instrumental role in bringing together different parties opposed to the BJP, did not reveal the names of the likely entrants.
“We will discuss the bloc’s strategies for next year’s general elections during the upcoming meeting in Mumbai. Issues such as seat-sharing will be discussed and several other agendas will be finalised. A few more political parties will join our coalition,” the CM told reporters in Patna.

Congress spokesperson Alok Sharma on Sunday said 4-5 parties among the 38 that had attended the meeting of BJP-led NDA are in touch with the

INDIA alliance and some of them will join the opposition bloc in the coming days.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) leader Sanjay Raut had said last week there is a possibility political parties from northeast India will take part in the conclave.
Logo to symbolise unity: Raut
Raut has said that the INDIA logo will be unveiled during the Mumbai. “Discussions are on for the same. We are trying to reach out to 140 crore Indians. The logo will symbolise the country, its unity, and reflect the energy needed to keep the country together,” he said.
Where is the conclave being held?
Leaders of the INDIA alliance, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and MPs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, will participate in the third meeting of the bloc in Grand Hyatt, a luxury hotel in suburban Mumbai.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will host dinner for the visiting dignitaries at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on August 31. The next day, the meeting will take place at the same venue followed by a press conference.

The bloc’s first meeting was held in Patna in June, while the second one took place in Bengaluru in mid-July, when the name Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was announced.
This is the first meeting of the opposition INDIA alliance in a state where none of the bloc members are in power.
Who is organising the meeting?
The Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress has formed several committees to plan various aspects of the meeting of the opposition bloc.
According to sources, the committees, which include two leaders from each of the three parties, will take care of media, social media, accommodation, and transport, among other things.
The Congress will handle media and publicity, while the NCP will take care of transport.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) will look after accommodation, the sources said, adding that more than 200 rooms have been booked in Grand Hyatt hotel.
‘Seat-sharing almost finalised’
Meanwhile, Congress leader Milind Deora said seat sharing for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls among alliance partners is more or less finalised in many States. “There are only a few States that may require more time,” he added.

Deora, who is closely involved in the organising of the meeting, hailed the “evolving chemistry” between INDIA partners and said the best example of that was in Maharashtra, where the BJP-Shiv Sena government is in power.
A forward movement on seat sharing, formation of a coordination committee and appointment of a convener for the alliance may also be discussed at the meeting. (With inputs from agencies)