'We all want Rahul Gandhi to become PM': Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam ahead of Oppn alliance's third meeting in Mumbai

Maharashtra Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said on Thursday that like other parties, Congress members too want to see their leader Rahul Gandhi as the next Prime Minister.

His comments came ahead of the third meeting of the opposition bloc INDIA. The third meeting of the opposition bloc INDIA will begin in Mumbai on Thursday to discuss its strategy to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections due next year and inclusion of new allies.

"Like other parties, Congress workers and we all want Rahul Gandhi to become the Prime Minister. But this decision has to be taken jointly by all the parties of the alliance," he told news agency ANI.

Earlier on Wednesday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar also shared the same sentiments forcing the party to clarify that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was not at all in the race to become Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar also reiterated he has no prime ministerial ambitions but will lead the opposition's efforts to fight against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Along with talks on strategy and inclusion of new allies, unveiling of the INDIA bloc logo and discussion on the common minimum programme (CMP) will be the highlight of the two-day deliberations.

As many as 63 representatives from 28 political parties will attend the meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Thursday and Friday at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai.

The third meeting of the opposition bloc is hosted by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the three-party alliance of the Congress, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP led by Sharad Pawar.

The alliance would announce a coordination committee, which could be of 11 members from principal opposition parties.

The opposition alliance is also likely to hold discussions on whether to have a convenor or not and whether there will be some sub-groups to handle seat sharing, agitational joint programmes and communication strategy.

(With agencies inputs)