17 Opposition Parties Agree to Fight 2024 Elections Unitedly to Defeat BJP

Patna: The nearly four-hour-long mega Opposition meeting by 17 political parties on Friday in Patna ended with a consensus to fight unitedly to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. 

It was also decided to hold the second such Opposition meeting in Shimla in mid-July to further consolidate the unity and work out a joint strategy.

"There is a consensus among Opposition parties to go together and to contest elections together. In the next meeting, a seat-sharing formula will be decided and it will be finalised which party will contest how much seats and from where", Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told at a joint press conference after meeting ended here.

Kumar, the de facto chief of Janata Dal-United was host of the Opposition meeting here, which saw top leaders of the 17 Opposition parties gather on the same platform, keeping aside their differences to unitedly take on the BJP.

At the press conference, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said there was is a direct attack going on by BJP-RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) on foundation of Hindustan.

"I said in the meeting that we are standing together. All parties have some differences, but we will work together. Whatever we discussed today, it will move further with more discussions in the next meeting, he said.

Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee said that a jan andolan (people’s movement) has started in Bihar. "Today, at Opposition meeting, we have made three things clear. We are one, we will contest together and we will fight unitedly against BJP's political agenda."

The much-awaited Opposition meeting formally began on Friday noon in Patna with leaders from 17 Opposition parties from across the country gathering to firm up strong unity to defeat the BJP in the 2024 general elections.

The meeting was held at Samvad Bhawan, a building close to the high security sprawling official residence of Kumar.

All eyes were on the outcome of marathon opposition meeting as top leaders including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar and six CMs of non-BJP ruled states and four former CMs and others have been taking part in a deliberation on issues to defeat BJP.
 

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said just like the JP (Jai Prakash Narayan) movement (in 1974 in Bihar), "our united front will get the blessings of the public", according to PTI.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said, “The message from the Patna meeting is clear for all of us that we need to work together to save the country."

Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo, and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad said people of the country "want us to fight unitedly" against BJP-RSS.

"Prime Minister Modi is distributing sandalwood in the US when the country is facing problems," he said, asserting that "I am fit now and can take him on".

"We have to fight together. People of the country used to say that votes got divided as the Opposition did not fight together," he said, alleging that the country is on the verge of breaking.

"Bajrang Bali is with us....the BJP and Narendra Modi will face tough times ahead," Prasad added.

Earlier, in a tweet, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin = dubbed the opposition meeting here as a "war cry" against a "fascist and autocratic regime."

"No surprises that the war cry of a united opposition is from here, the land of social justice, to end this fascist, autocratic regime and allow the rebirth of a secular, democratic India", added Stalin, who also used the hashtag #UnitingIndia2024.

NC leader Omar Abdullah said after the meeting that 17 parties from Kashmir to Kanyakumari have come together "not for power, but for principles".

CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said the key challenge ahead was to protect the character of India as a secular democratic country, which the "BJP wants to change".

CPI leader D Raja said BJP's nine-year rule has become "disastrous and detrimental" to the Constitution of our country.

"We can't let Gandhi's India to become Godse's country," People’s Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti said after the meeting.

Nitish as Convenor?

According to a senior JD-U leader close to Nitish Kumar, the Bihar CM’s name was discussed as convenor of united Opposition.

JD-U sources also said there was no discussion on naming a prime ministerial candidate in the meeting.

The Opposition meeting is a result of the active role played by  Kumar, who has been engaging with national and regional party leaders to strengthen Opposition unity for the past few months. Kumar has repeatedly said that he is uninterested in any post and categorically denied that he was in the race for the PM post.

Leaders of the BJP, which is the Opposition party in Bihar, and its allies, meanwhile, launched a direct attack against the meeting. They claimed that the meeting would be unsuccessful in its objective of uniting the Opposition to defeat Modi.

 Addresssing a press conference in Delhi, BJP leader Smriti Irani termed the Opposition meeting in Patna as a "multi-headed selfish alliance" and compared it with “wolves hunting in packs”.
 

(With inputs from PTI)