New Delhi, Jun 5 (IANS): The first meeting of the Opposition parties called to discuss unity ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which was scheduled for June 12 is now likely to take place on June 23, sources said.
Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar, who 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 had called the first meeting on June 12 in Patna.
However, a source on Sunday said that in view of the request by the Congress, DMK, CPI-M, now the meeting has been fixed for June 23.
Earlier, a source had said that like Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader M.K. Stalin, Congress also made a request to the Bihar Chief Minister to postpone the meeting to a further date.
However, being the first meeting of the opposition parties, the Congress accepted the request to join the meeting on June 12. Thus, some of our senior party leaders will join the meeting instead of the top leadership, the source said.
Though, with more request from other opposition parties and leaders like Sitaram Yechury, the meeting will now take place on June 23 in Patna, the source added.
Nitish Kumar, along with his deputy and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had already met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in April as well as in May.
Besides the Congress leaders, the Janata Dal-United leader has also met NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader D. Raja, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Odisha Chief Minister and BJD leader Naveen Patnaik, former Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackaeray and others in a bid to bring all the like-minded parties together.
According to sources, at least 16 opposition parties like the 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 in Patna, will now be sent the fresh date of the meeting.