New Delhi, May 31 (IANS): As the proposed meeting of non-NDA opposition politicians is slated in Patna on June 12, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and several other top leaders of the party will be attending the meeting.
The first meeting of the Opposition parties will take place in Patna on June 12 to discuss a joint strategy for the 2024 general elections.
According to sources, more than 18 like-minded Opposition parties will attend the conclave.
Ahead of the crucial meeting, a Congress source said that Kharge, party general secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal, besides some more leaders will be attending the meeting.
The source said that former party chief Rahul Gandhi is also likely to attend the meeting if he returns from the US trip by June 11.
Rahul Gandhi left for US on May 30 and he will be attending several programmes in US with the Indian diaspora, venture capitalists, tech executives, students, senior technology executives from Silicon Valley on artificial intelligence, to deliver a lecture at Stanford University, and on the same evening meet with the Indian diaspora besides many others.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been spearheading the campaign to unite all like-minded parties to forge an alliance against the BJP-led NDA for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Nitish Kumar, along with his deputy and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had already met Kharge, Rahul Gandhi last month as well as this month.
The Janata Dal-United leader has also met NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader D Raja, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, BJD leader Naveen Patnaik, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackaeray and others in a bid to bring all the like-minded together.
According to sources, at least 16 Opposition parties like Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin-led DMK, AAP, JMM, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray), CPI-M, CPI, Congress, TMC, SP, BRS and others have given their consent to attend the meeting to be held on June 12.