Opposition parties agree to contest elections together, details to be finalised in Shimla meeting

Patna: All opposition parties have reached an agreement to contest elections together, said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar following a four-hour-long meeting of 16 parties. A subsequent meeting will take place in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, next month to finalise the finer details including seat sharing and party-wise allocation.

During the joint press conference, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin were absent because they had to leave early due to flight schedules.

While projecting unity at the press conference, the Aam Aadmi Party in a surprising move said that it would not participate in future opposition gatherings unless the Congress publicly opposes the Centre's controversial ordinance that curtails the Delhi government's control over administrative services, reported NDTV. Sources revealed sharp exchanges between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party during the meeting. Arvind Kejriwal sought the Congress party's stance on the ordinance issue, while Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge raised concerns over allegations made by AAP Chief Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar, suggesting a deal between the Congress and BJP.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge indicated that the next meeting, tentatively scheduled for July 10 or 12, would focus on devising a strategy for all states. "We have to fight the elections together in 2024. We have decided to throw out the BJP and are confident of forming the next government," said Kharge.

Rahul Gandhi addressed the alleged attacks on democratic institutions and emphasised the need to work together, despite ideological differences, to safeguard their shared principles. "It is a fight of ideologies. We may have some differences but have decided to work together with flexibility to protect our ideology. This is a process, and we will keep it going," he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed solidarity among the participating parties and strongly criticised the BJP's policies, political vendettas, and alleged dictatorship. Mamata Banerjee passionately vowed to protect the people's interests, asserting that the country would not witness another election if the BJP returned to power.

"Raj Bhavan has become an alternative government. They organised Foundation Day for our state without consulting us. If we oppose them, ED and CBI are used against us. They send lawyers to court and implicate us in some cases or others, but they don't talk about unemployment, common people, the destruction of the economy, atrocities against Dalits, or violence against women. They don't give money for Awas (housing) or roads and recruit people in universities as per their own whims and fancies," she said.

Leaders from various parties, including Mehbooba Mufti of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party, Omar Abdullah of the National Conference, Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT), and D Raja of the CPI, expressed concerns about the BJP's governance and the preservation of democratic values.

"The way people are being treated, especially the minorities, we don't want Gandhi's Nation to turn into Godse's," said Mufti. She warned that the things that happened in the Valley are now happening in the rest of the country.

Omar Abdullah said 17 parties from Kashmir to Kanyakumari have come together not for power, but for principles.