More leaders hold deliberations to unite opposition

Efforts to cement opposition unity gathered pace on Thursday with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge meeting NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held talks with Left veterans Sitaram Yechury and D Raja. As part of the efforts to bring several opposition parties together on a common platform to defeat the BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Pawar met Kharge later on Thursdays evening, where Rahul Gandhi was also present and pledged to take forward the process of opposition unity. "A process has started to unite the Opposition. We are all together to work for the Opposition unity," Rahul Gandhi said after the meeting.The leaders are likely to take forward unity talks as more deliberations are expected in the coming days, opposition leaders have said. The Congress plans to convene a meeting of top opposition leaders very soon.

Kumar left the national capital after meeting with several opposition leaders, including Aam Aadmi Party's national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. After his meeting with Nitish Kumar, Sitaram Yechury, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary said seat adjustments will be made at the state level and indicated that a third front - a non-BJP, non-Congress coalition - was a possibility.He later tweeted, "With Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to carry forward the efforts to unite secular democratic parties to safeguard the Indian Republic, Constitution and democracy, severely assaulted by the BJP and Modi government. Defeat the BJP in order to save India and people's livelihoods."

The BJP, however, took a dig at Kumar's outreach saying "the PM post for 2024 is not vacant".