Opposition unity bid: Nitish Kumar meets Naveen Patnaik

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday, in an effort to bring opposition parties together.

Patnaik, one of the longest-serving CMs of any state in the country is a former BJP ally. He has tried to remain equidistant from the Congress and the BJP.

The Bihar CM, who snapped ties with BJP last year, vowing to defeat it in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, has toured many places and met political leaders of various hues as part of his opposition unity drive.

Recently, Nitish Kumar, along with his deputy Tejashwi Yadav held talks with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav.

Earlier, he had met former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, among others.

When Kumar met Banerjee, he was asked by her to convene a meeting, in Bihar, of leaders from across the country who are opposed to the BJP.

The opposition leaders are expected to meet in the third week of May in Patna in an attempt to forge unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The big opposition meeting is expected to have the participation of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja are likely to attend the meeting. If Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal could not attend, he is expected to send his representative.