THE I.N.D.I.A. bloc will get a “decisive mandate” in the Lok Sabha polls and may take even less than 48 hours to decide on its prime ministerial pick, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Thursday, asserting that it stands to reason that the party which gets the maximum seats in the alliance will be a “natural claimant” for its leadership. In an interview with PTI on the last day of campaigning for the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls, the Congress general secretary exuded confidence that the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will get seats “well above” the 272-mark needed for a majority in the Lower House.

 

Ramesh also said that when the I.N.D.I.A. ‘janbandhan’ parties will get the people’s mandate, then some NDA parties may join the coalition and the Congress high command will have to decide whether to include them in the alliance or not. Asked whether post-polls doors will remain open for NDA allies such as JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, the Congress leader said, “Nitish Kumar is the master of ‘palti (volte-face)’. “Naidu was with the Congress in alliance in 2019. I would say when I.N.D.I.A. janbandhan parties will get the people’s mandate, then not only I.N.D.I.A. parties but also some NDA parties may join the coalition,” he said.