'Mandate is decisively against Mr Modi,' says Mallikarjun Kharge, but who will heed his call to join the INDIA bloc?

New Delhi: The INDIA bloc would welcome all parties that share a fundamental commitment to the values enshrined in the Preamble of Constitution, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday at the first meeting of the opposition grouping after its impressive gains in Lok Sabha polls.

Addressing the opposition leaders who converged at his residence, Kharge said all INDIA alliance partners fought well, unitedly and resolutely.

"The mandate is decisively against Mr Modi, against him and the substance and style of his politics. It is a huge political loss for him personally apart from being a clear moral defeat as well. However, he is determined to subvert the will of the people," he said.

"The INDIA alliance welcomes all parties which share its fundamental commitment to the values enshrined in the Preamble to our Constitution and to its many provisions for economic, social and political justice," the Congress chief said in his opening remarks.

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Thanking the INDIA bloc partners, he said, "I welcome all INDIA alliance partners. We fought well, fought unitedly, fought resolutely."

While politics is unpredictable, the duo of JD(U) chief Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and TDP chief Andhra Pradesh CM-designate N Chandrababu Naidu, already attended the NDA meeting chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Narendra Modi and pledged their allegiance to the BJP-led group. TDP has 16 MPs and JD(U) 12 in the new Lok Sabha.