INDIA alliance leaders will meet on Wednesday to decide on PM face: Uddhav Thackeray

Mumbai: Buoyed by the INDIA bloc's show in the Lok Sabha polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday pushed for staking a claim to form the next government at the Centre and said the opposition alliance's leaders will meet on Wednesday in New Delhi to decide on the Prime Minister's face.

Addressing a news conference here after results and trends showed the BJP will miss the simple majority mark of 272 seats, Thackeray said leaders of the Congress and other parties are holding talks with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Telegu Desam Party (TDP) head Chandrababu Naidu to explore the possibility of their entry into the bloc. The Kumar-led JD(U) and the TDP are constituents of the BJP-headed NDA which looks set to win more than 290 Lok Sabha seats as per latest trends and results, enough to form the next government in the 543-member House.

Thackeray alleged both Naidu, a former CM of united Andhra Pradesh, and Kumar were troubled by the BJP. Both leaders are key to formation of the next government at the Centre.


"The common man has shown his power," Thackeray said after the INDIA alliance crossed the 200- seat mark as per results and trends. "There is a need to stake a claim to form the next government. The INDIA alliance meeting on Wednesday (in Delhi) will decide on the Prime Minister's face," he added.

The former Maharashtra chief minister said he will travel to the national capital to attend the key meeting. Thackeray said it is made to appear that the BJP-led NDA has the numbers to form the next government.