INDIA bloc will win over 295 seats: Kharge

Shubhadeep Choudhury

New Delhi, June 1

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said INDIA bloc parties would get more than 295 seats in the Lok Sabha. A meeting of the alliance leaders was held at his residence.

“The INDIA bloc will get more than 295 seats. We have arrived at this figure after speaking with all our leaders,” Kharge said. “This is a survey of the people. People have given this information to our leaders. The government surveys are there and their media friends also inflate figures and put it out. Therefore, we want to tell you about the reality,” the Congress president added.

INDIA bloc parties also announced that they will participate in the exit poll debates on television this evening. The development came a day after the Congress said it has decided not to participate in any Lok Sabha exit poll debates on TV channels.

A source, who was present in the meeting, said INDIA candidates are expected to make significant gains in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra — three large states where the BJP had swept the polls in 2019.

Kharge said they sought time from the ECI on Sunday to discuss steps to be taken during counting of votes.

Top leaders who took part in the meeting included Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi. Akhilesh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party, Sharad Pawar (NCP), Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann, Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha of AA and others.

Provide justice to Agniveers: Rahul to Prez

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu urging her to intervene in the Agnipath scheme to stop “discrimination” in the nature and extent of benefits given to the families of slain soldiers. In his two-page letter to the President, Rahul said he is writing to the President with an appeal to provide ‘nyya’ (justice) to Agniveers, who lay down their lives in service to the nation.