What to expect from mega opposition meet in Patna tomorrow
What's the story
The top leaders of 20 opposition parties from across the country will meet in Bihar's Patna on Friday to forge a joint opposition front to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
While the BJP and its allies are trying to downplay the meeting, calling it opportunistic rather than ideological, opposition leaders said more such meetings will come.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The opposition parties tried to forge a joint front earlier but received little success.
This is the first time that parties such as the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Samajwadi Party (SP), and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which are ambivalent toward the Congress, will share a common platform with the grand old party.
In 2019, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 353 of 545 seats.
CMs
Who will attend the meeting
Per reports, Bihar CM and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar, Tamil Nadu CM and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader MK Stalin, West Bengal CM and TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee, Delhi CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann will join the meeting.
Who else
NCP, PDP, Left leaders also to join
Others set to join the meeting include Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Uddhav Thackeray.
National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, and Left leaders are also expected to attend the meeting.
Details
BJD, BRS, YSRCP to skip
The ruling parties of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Telangana, namely the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), will reportedly skip the meeting.
Earlier, Kumar proposed a one-on-one strategy to jointly field candidates in each seat to prevent the division of votes.
On Friday, he is likely to establish a core committee to tackle issues such as seat-sharing.
Discuss
What are issues likely to be discussed
During the meeting, Bihar CM Kumar would likely request everyone's input on how to formulate a unified strategy to combat the BJP.
They are also expected to discuss the alleged misuse of investigating agencies by the Centre, the ongoing Manipur violence, the wrestlers' protest, the Delhi ordinance, and social justice in Patna.
Per News18, Kumar may be named convener of the united opposition front.