Amid suggestions at the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) meeting in Delho, the bloc finalise its seat-sharing by December 31, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee proposed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the prime ministerial face of the alliance.

“He can be India’s first Dalit Prime Minister,” Ms. Banerjee was quoted as saying by a senior Opposition leader.

When Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Admi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal endorsed the Congress chief’s name as the first Dalit prime ministerial choice, Mr. Kharge intervened to assert that he had never used his Dalit identity.

At a press conference to convey the decisions of the INDIA bloc, Mr. Kharge said the decision on prime ministerial candidate would be taken after the election. “First we have to win and get a majority, then MPs will decide democratically,” Mr. Kharge told reporters when asked if he could be Opposition’s PM face.

Sources told The Hindu that Ms. Banerjee also suggested the name of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to contest from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, there was no decision on any of these proposals.

The fourth meeting of the INDIA bloc in Delhi, which was attended by 28 parties and went on for over two hours, however, agreed to hold joint protests on December 22 against the mass suspension of Opposition MPs during the Winter session of Parliament.

The INDIA bloc also adopted a resolution that expressed doubts about the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and suggested that voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips should be handed over to the voters.

At the closed-door meeting, sources said, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked if anyone in the room had faith in EVM but everyone stayed silent.

Besides Mr. Kharge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, and CPI general secretary D. Raja were among the senior leaders who were present at the press conference.