News Snapshot:
Mallikarjun Kharge’s projection as the prime ministerial candidate of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was not a sudden, spur-of-the-moment decision at the December 19 meeting of the Opposition parties. Many alliance parties including the Congress leadership had been toying with the idea. Both Sitaram Yechury of CPM and Manoj Kumar Jha of the RJD publicly batted for Kharge to play a bigger role in the coalition and beyond. At a book launch at the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation on December 11, 2023, Sonia Gandhi virtually endorsed Yechury and Jha saying, “Mallikarjun Kharge is best suited to lead the Congress...