A highly anticipated strategy meeting of Opposition parties, aimed at forming a united front against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, has been rescheduled to take place in Patna on June 23. The ruling grand alliance leaders in Bihar made the announcement on Wednesday, after the initial date of June 12 was postponed. JD(U) national president Rajiv Rajan Singh, also known as Lallan Singh, along with Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, revealed that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former President Rahul Gandhi, who is currently on a tour of the United States, have confirmed their participation in the meeting.
The earlier scheduled meeting on June 12 had to be canceled due to the inability of Kharge and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to attend in Patna on that specific day. Rahul Gandhi was also unavailable as he had prior speaking engagements in the US. In order to ensure the presence of all party chiefs, the decision was made to defer the meeting.
Opposition Parties Set to Convene Crucial Strategy Meeting on June 23 for 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, Congress Leadership to Participate
A senior Congress leader based in New Delhi indicated that following the Patna meeting, two to three more Opposition gatherings are expected to be held across the country. The Congress and the DMK are likely to propose Chennai as the venue for the next meeting, while Kolkata and Mumbai may host two additional meetings.
Singh mentioned that several other prominent leaders are expected to participate in the meeting, including West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Shiv Sena chief and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) patriarch Sharad Pawar, DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, as well as top leaders from Left parties, such as Sitaram Yechury from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), D Raja from the Communist Party of India, and Dipankar Bhattacharya from the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation.
“Crucial Opposition Meet Strategically Empowered on June 23 for 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, Congress Leadership Actively Participating”
Tejashwi emphasized that the meeting would serve as an important event to convey a message of opposition unity in the fight against the BJP’s autocratic governance and attempts to undermine the nation’s Constitution and democratic fabric. He stated, “There is an undeclared emergency in the country under the rule of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, and those questioning the government’s policies are being harassed.” Lallan Singh echoed these sentiments.
The announcement of the Opposition meeting by the JD(U) president and the Bihar Deputy Chief Minister is seen as an effort to dispel any perception that the initiative taken by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to unite Opposition parties against the BJP was faltering due to the postponement of the June 12 meeting. There were also speculations that the top leadership of the Congress had suggested not contesting less than 350 seats if they choose to join the proposed front, although grand alliance constituents were keen on the national party contesting 250 seats nationwide. State leaders noted that initial discussions indicated that the issue of Congress contesting fewer seats in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh could be contentious.
However, the Congress denied making any such demand, stating that they have not yet started preparations for the Lok Sabha elections. A senior Congress strategist mentioned that their focus is currently on the upcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, following the recent polls in Karnataka.
KC Tyagi, the chief spokesperson of JD(U), stated earlier on Wednesday that the meeting would be held in Patna and added that “everyone joining the proposed front will have to make sacrifices in terms of seat sharing.”
Regarding reports suggesting the Congress’ desire to contest 350 seats as a major partner in the proposed front, the JD(U) national president clarified that all matters related to seat sharing would be discussed at a later stage.