Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been actively engaged in forging alliances and uniting opposition forces ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. His recent meetings with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray have garnered significant attention. Kumar has positioned himself as a facilitator rather than a front-runner, aiming to bring together leaders who may be hesitant to directly engage with the Congress due to historical rivalries.
In the past two months, Kumar has been persistent in triggering opposition talks while dismissing any claims of being the leader of the united front. He believes that a direct contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition is crucial for challenging the hegemony of the Narendra Modi government.
The meeting between Kumar and Thackeray on May 11 became particularly significant as it coincided with the Supreme Court granting relief to the Maharashtra government led by Eknath Shinde.
Thackeray wasted no time in endorsing Kumar’s efforts to unite the opposition, emphasizing the need to save democracy and expressing concerns about the BJP’s alleged attempts to undermine it.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, a key figure in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, echoed Thackeray’s sentiment. Pawar emphasized the importance of working together to provide an alternative to the BJP, highlighting the apathy towards the ruling party across the country.
Meanwhile, the Congress, the third partner in the MVA government, welcomed the Supreme Court’s judgment, which criticized the actions of the Maharashtra governor and the assembly speaker during the dislodgment of the Thackeray-led government in 2022.
Opposition leaders from different states, including Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, and Naveen Patnaik, have responded positively to Kumar’s endeavors. The Congress, under the leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge, has also shown a renewed interest in opposition unity.
While the issue of leadership has been temporarily set aside, the focus is on highlighting ideological issues that can bring the opposition together. Kumar’s efforts have gained momentum, and there is growing optimism among opposition leaders about the prospects of a united front against the BJP in the upcoming elections.