Opposition Unity Meet to Begin in Bengaluru Today

Bengaluru: Leaders of at least 24 Opposition parties will take part in the two-day Opposition unity meeting scheduled to start in Bengaluru from Monday evening. It will be attended by key leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mamata Banerjee.

The aim of this Opposition unity is to chalk down plans for an anti-BJP alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. The Bengaluru meet follows the first meeting held in Patna on June 23.

Meanwhile, the tussle between the Congress and AAP, which was a major obstacle in the path of Opposition unity, has been resolved. The Congress’s decision to oppose an ordinance that robbed the Delhi government of its control of its bureaucrats has pacified the Aam Aadmi Party, which had threatened to walk out of the Opposition unity initiative.

On Monday evening Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to host the leaders for a dinner. The Opposition party heads will dine and discuss their future course of action at a luxury hotel on Monday evening. It will be followed by a daylong closed-door session on Tuesday.

A joint media conference is likely to be held at the end of Tuesday’s discussions. Declaration of a convener and formal name of the Opposition alliance may take place.