All eyes on Congress’s Karnataka decision as Opposition leaders gear up for strategy meet
The HinduThe long-awaited Opposition meeting hinges on the Congress putting its house in order in Karnataka and having a Chief Minister in place. Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal leader Nitish Kumar is already building the ground to hold the meeting in Patna, proposing it as a neutral venue, especially for the regional parties, as opposed to Delhi, which was the venue of an Opposition meeting hosted by the Congress ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election. “Nitish ji is in touch with all Opposition parties and as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged him, the meeting will be held in Patna,” JD secretary-general K.C. The Opposition leaders agree that with the Congress’s emphatic victory in the Karnataka Assembly election, at least for the time being, the doubt over the Congress’s position as the leader of the pack has been erased, with even staunch critic such as Ms. Banerjee conceding the position in its favour. While it may not be difficult to achieve in States such as Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh or even Gujarat where the Congress is stronger than the other Opposition parties, the course won’t be smooth in States such as West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Punjab and Maharashtra where multiple Opposition parties would be vying for the same slot.