Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Leader of Opposition in the state, Tejashwi Yadav, are scheduled to meet Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai today. The meeting is seen as an effort to build a united front of opposition parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The meeting comes on the heels of Nitish Kumar’s visit to Delhi, where he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. There has been speculation that Nitish Kumar may look to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections in 2025.
Meanwhile, the opposition parties have been working to form a united front to challenge the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Pawar, who has been instrumental in bringing together the opposition parties, has been holding a series of meetings with various leaders in recent weeks.
Tejashwi Yadav, who is the son of former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, has been leading the opposition charge in the state and has been critical of Nitish Kumar’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis in the state.
The meeting in Mumbai is seen as a significant development in the opposition’s efforts to form a grand alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While the Congress has been leading the charge in bringing together the opposition parties, the presence of Pawar and Thackeray in the meeting is seen as an attempt to bring in more regional players.
The meeting is expected to focus on issues related to the upcoming Assembly elections in several states, as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis facing the country.
In recent months, there have been growing concerns over the BJP’s dominance in national politics and the need for opposition parties to come together to challenge its hegemony. The meeting in Mumbai is seen as a step in that direction and is expected to pave the way for further discussions and alliances in the coming months.
