Nitish to call on Patnaik, Akhilesh in May in bid for oppn unity

In mid-May, a second round of meeting of various constituents of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, constituents of the ruling Grand Alliance in Bihar and Left parties will be held in New Delhi.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who has been making efforts towards opposition unity ahead of the 2024 parliamentary polls, is likely to call on his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in the first week of May, people familiar with the matter said.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in Rajgir on Thursday. (HT Photo)

In mid-May, a second round of meeting of various constituents of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, constituents of the ruling Grand Alliance in Bihar and Left parties will be held in New Delhi.

“Nitish Kumar, top RJD leaders from Bihar and Congress leaders are reaching out to various regional party chiefs opposed to BJP, like Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, Indian National Lok Dal and parties in southern states. Many of them are already agreeable to joining the new front ,” said a top RJD leader, requesting not to be named.

Bihar Congress chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh also said that in the last meeting of Nitish Kumar with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi on April 12, it was decided that the JD(U) strongman would be meeting several regional leaders in coming weeks to bring them on board for a larger united opposition front.

“Nitish Kumar (ji) has the capability to forge a larger opposition front. Congress too is showing keenness to forge a new front to take on BJP in 2024 parliamentary polls,” said senior JD(U) leader K C Tyagi.

Meanwhile, former Uttarakhand chief minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat called on Nitish Kumar in Patna on Wednesday, an indication of the Bihar CM’s pivotal role in uniting opposition.

Sharing a photograph of his meeting with Kumar on Twitter, Rawat wrote on Thursday, “Shri Nitish Kumar, the strong voice of opposition unity in 2024...”

However, when asked about the meeting, Rawat said Kumar is an old friend and he had travelled to Patna to appreciate his good works.

Rawat, though, admitted there were political discussions between the two leaders.”We are no saints. When political people meet, political talk is bound to happen,” he said.