NEW DELHI: Leaders of the INDIA alliance have proposed Mallikarjun Kharge as the prime ministerial candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee first nominated Kharge as the prime ministerial candidate.

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party President Arvind Kejriwal favoured the West Bengal Chief Minister's proposal. However, for reasons unknown, Kharge has rejected the deal. A meeting of the India Alliance was held in Delhi on Tuesday with major opposition parties confirming that a proposal was made to make Kharge the PM candidate.

The INDIA alliance meeting was decided to be conducted on Tuesday for the fact that a major number of opposition MPs are currently under suspension from the Lok Sabha speaker. It is reported that no final decision has been reached regarding the Prime Ministerial candidate. In the meeting, Kharge mulled about bringing a formula to win the elections rather than appointing the PM candidate with haste.

In the upcoming meetings, more talks will be conducted about seat distribution. Leaders from 28 opposition parties including Sharad Pawar, Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, MK Stalin, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi participated in the meeting.