Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal was also present in the meeting. (Photo: News18)
Pawar’s meeting comes amid efforts by several opposition leaders, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, to unite the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to take on the BJP.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday Rahul Gandhi in the national capital.
Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal was also present in the meeting.
Pawar’s meeting comes as several opposition leaders, including the Bihar CM Nitish Kumar And Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin is trying to unite the opposition for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Earlier on Wednesday, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav met Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal.
Nitish Kumar also met Left stalwarts Sitaram Yechury and D Raja.
After the meeting with Kumar, CPI(M) general secretary Yechury said that the adjustment of seats would be done at the state level and hinted that there was a possibility of a third front.
“Opposition unity efforts have gathered momentum. The CPI(M) general secretary said, the opposition alliance will be formed and the seats will be adjusted at the state level.
“In Kerala, the Congress and our party are arch rivals. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not in the fight there.”
He further said that the Third Front which is going to be formed will always be formed after the elections.
Yechury said, “But in India, fronts are formed after elections, like United Front in 1996, formation of NDA after elections in 1998, formation of UPA after elections in 2004.”
Yechury later tweeted, “With Bihar Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar under serious attack by BJP and Modi Govt for taking forward efforts to unite secular democratic parties to defend Indian Republic, Constitution and democracy.” Defeat the BJP to save India and people’s livelihood.” The Bihar chief minister also met CPI general secretary Raja.
“Had a meeting with JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar to discuss the broader issues of opposition unity against the RSS-BJP. The country is in trouble and all sections of the society are vocal against the misrule of the BJP. In a tweet after the meeting, Raja said unity of secular-democratic forces is necessary to protect our democracy and people.
Even the Bihar chief minister stepped up efforts to forge opposition unity and is set to meet a few more parties, including the BRS and the Samajwadi Party, the SP leader Akhilesh Yadav He did not give a direct answer to the question whether his party would join the opposition alliance to counter the BJP, but said that the people of the country want a change of power.
Responding to reporters’ questions in Indore whether his party would join the opposition alliance, Yadav said, “It is a big question. What name are you giving it (grand alliance)? But I know one thing that the people of Uttar Pradesh will defeat the BJP. He said that the people of the country want a change of government.
Last month, after his party’s national executive meeting, the SP chief had said that his party would play a key role in forming the opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier on March 17, Yadav had met the Chief Minister of West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata and said that Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) and SP would stay away from both the Congress and the BJP and hinted at possible talks with other regional players ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
(With PTI inputs)
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