Sharad Pawar to skip mega Opposition meet in Bengaluru for show of strength in Mumbai

In a big setback for the Opposition wanting to project a united front against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has reportedly opted out of the scheduled meeting in Bengaluru. According to reports, Pawar has decided to stay in Mumbai as the Maharashtra assembly session starts on Monday. Instead, he will be sending a representative from the NCP to attend the meeting.

It is unlikely that Pawar will participate in the second day of the Opposition meeting on Tuesday either. According to sources, for Pawar, the more crucial agenda at the moment is to ensure he projects his strength in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in terms of the number of MLAs.

The NCP Arithmetic

Earlier this month, before Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government, the NCP held 53 MLAs out of the total 288 members in the Assembly. Following the split in the party, the first meeting called by Ajit Pawar in Mumbai saw the presence of 35 NCP MLAs and five out of the eight MLCs. However, the precise number of MLAs supporting Ajit Pawar's camp remains unknown.

Opposition Gathering in Bengaluru

On Monday, a significant two-day gathering in Karnataka's Bengaluru will witness the convergence of at least 24 'like-minded' political parties. Their primary aim is to strategize and prepare to challenge the ruling BJP in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha election.

This Bengaluru meeting follows a prior gathering that occurred in Patna, Bihar on June 23, and it is expected to bolster the unity among the opposition as nine additional parties are set to participate this time. The discussions during the meeting will centre around joint national programs, strategies for the upcoming Parliament session, and various other pertinent issues.

Regarding the second opposition meeting in Bengaluru, Sitaram Yechury, the leader of CPI(M), expressed that their collective objective is to safeguard India's interests. He emphasized the importance of launching national campaigns that address concerns such as the misuse of central agencies, assaults on the federal structure, the role of governors, inflation, and unemployment.

NDA Gathering on July 18

On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA has also announced a massive gathering scheduled in New Delhi on July 18. Approximately 30 parties are expected to attend this meeting, to be held at Delhi's Ashok Hotel. BJP national president JP Nadda and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be chairing the event.