PATNA: Enthused by the positive response he received from two major regional satraps in his bid to forge a broader Opposition unity against BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will meet another regional strongman and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar on May 9. Earlier, Nitish had met Patnaik on May 5. In view of the busy schedule of the Odisha chief minister, the meeting was postponed to May 9.
Nitish has stepped up his efforts to stitch together an alliance of as many Opposition parties as possible to stop BJP’s juggernaut. In this regard, Nitish, along with deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, JD (U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh aka Lalan Singh, had met West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav.
Mamata, who is apparently worried over BJP’s impressive show in 2019 Lok Sabha election winning 18 seats, had said, “I have requested just one thing from Nitish Kumar. Jayaprakash ji’s movement had begun in Bihar. If we have an all-party meeting in Bihar, we will be able to decide where we have to go next. But first of all, we have to give a message that we are united.”
“I have said earlier too that I have no objections. I want BJP to become zero. They have become a big hero with the media’s support and lies,” she had alleged. Akhilesh also extended his support to Nitish. “They (BJP) want to change the history of India. They must know the history. They are not doing any work but just doing only publicity. We are going to bring together most of the opposition parties and fight the Lok Sabha elections.”
Now, Nitish’s meeting with Patnaik has triggered much curiosity in the political circles. It will be interesting to see whether Nitish will be able to cut much ice with Odisha CM, given highs and lows in the relationship between his Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and BJP.