BJP can be bundled out for 50 seats in 2024, says Nitish ahead of his Opposition outreach in Delhi

Kumar made the averment in Patna while addressing a meeting of the state executive of his JD(U), which was followed shortly afterwards by the national executive.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar waves to supporters after Janata Dal (United) National Executive Meeting, in Patna, Saturday, Sept 3, 2022. (Photo | PTI)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar waves to supporters after Janata Dal (United) National Executive Meeting, in Patna, Saturday, Sept 3, 2022. (Photo | PTI)

PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday asked opposition parties to bury their differences to forge national unity, saying they can together reduce the BJP to 50 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The Janata Dal (United), whose office bearers are meeting here for two days, also charged the BJP-led central government with imposing an "undeclared emergency" in the country, "misusing" probe agencies to silence opposition voices and stoking "communal frenzy" in society.

Addressing the party's national executive meeting, Kumar, who snapped ties with the BJP last month, claimed his only goal is to work for uniting the Opposition to unseat the saffron party from power, amid a buzz within his JD(U) that he may emerge as the prime ministerial face.

If all opposition parties fight unitedly, the BJP tally will be confined to 50 seats, Kumar told a meeting of JD(U)'s state executive of Bihar before its national executive meeting.

Party leader and Bihar Rural Development minister Shrawan Kumar told reporters Kumar has been authorised to work for uniting opposition parties and said a "united opposition under the leadership of Kumar is the need of the hour to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections."

A party resolution said Kumar's "vision and mission" behind Bihar's development have been praised in and outside India.

The JD(U) leader may reach Delhi on September 5 to meet several opposition leaders, party sources said.

The JD(U) also accused the ruling BJP of having "authoritarian" tendencies and destabilising non-BJP governments in several states, including Delhi and Jharkhand besides Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra earlier.

The no-holds-barred attack from the party came as it lost four of its five MLAs to the ruling BJP in Manipur.

Kumar will return from Delhi two days later and is expected to meet senior leaders of the Congress, which is now his ally in the state.

Notably, Kumar had been in touch with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi when he dumped the BJP last month.

The JD(U) leader, whose party wants him to play a "national role" after having been the longest serving chief minister of Bihar, is also likely to interact with his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal who heads the Aam Aadmi Party.

Another prominent leader whom Kumar is likely to meet is former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, whom he has known since they were both in Lok Dal.

Chautala is seeking to revive his Indian National Lok Dal by challenging the BJP which is ruling the northern state for the second consecutive term.

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