INDIA Bloc Preps for Counting Day: Leaders to Stay Alert

The INDIA bloc will hold an informal meeting to discuss preparations for the counting day on June 4. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge emphasized the need for leaders and workers to stay alert. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will not attend due to other commitments.

The INDIA bloc will hold an informal meeting Saturday only to discuss the preparations for the counting day on June 4 and how its leaders and workers need to stay alert, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said.

He said Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has informed that she is busy with the polls that day and therefore, will not be able to attend.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here Thursday, Kharge said the meeting is being held for ''our own sake'' to train people and to give them information.

''This is an informal meeting. In this, we will only discuss what kind of preparation we should have on the day of counting and how our people should be alert, whether it is about EVMs or the 17C form is used... Just for our own sake, we are holding this meeting to train our people and to give them information,'' he said.

Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal also said the meeting is only for discussing about the counting preparations and the Congress has already told its state units to be alert about Form 17C. ''Therefore, we have to have a review on that day about the Form 17C collections and the counting day preparations. Nothing else is going to be discussed, it's an informal meeting. We have informed major political party leaders for all,'' he said.