Next Oppn meet in Bengaluru, not Shimla, on July 13-14, says Sharad Pawar

NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Thursday in Pune that the change in venue was decided following the forecast of adverse weather in Shimla during mid-July.

Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar with RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal and others during the Opposition parties' meeting, in Patna. Credit: PTI Photo

Bengaluru will host the second meeting of Opposition parties around July 13-14 instead of previously-decided Shimla owing to adverse weather conditions in the Himalayan foothills.

This was announced by NCP chief Sharad Pawar at a press conference in Pune on Thursday, saying they have decided to shift the venue because of monsoon conditions.

Sources said the final date as well as whether to hold the meeting for two days would be finalised soon.

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While the announcement came as a surprise to some Opposition leaders, sources said a few among them had suggested Jaipur as the alternate venue, as Rajasthan is a poll-bound state where the Congress is in power and a show of strength would have sent a positive message to the voters.

However, it was decided to hold the meeting in Bengaluru after consulting some of the leaders. A senior Opposition leader, who said he was unaware of the change in venue, told DH that if the meeting is happening on June 13-14, then it would be difficult for him to attend as a party meeting is scheduled on that day.

Sources said one of the reasons for shifting from Shimla is that it would be difficult for leaders to reach the city in case there are heavy rains and landslides.

Also, some leaders would be arriving in chartered flights and private jets and it would have been difficult for them to attend the crucial meeting if the weather turned adverse.

At the Patna meeting on June 23, the parties had fixed Shimla as their next destination for a meeting in mid-July and Congress as the host to formulate a “common agenda” and state-specific “plans” to “unitedly” fight the 2024 elections to defeat the BJP.

While 15 parties attended the meeting, it is to be seen whether AAP will be part of the deliberations in Bengaluru as it has warned that it would remain absent if Congress does not announce its stand on the contentious ordinance.

AAP had said that it cannot be part of any alliance with Congress or promise its attendance in the next meeting if it does not publicly announce its support on the contentious Delhi ordinance issue.

More parties will be invited to the Bengaluru meeting than the 15 parties which attended the Patna deliberations. While RLD could not attend the Patna meeting, parties like Forward Bloc, RSP, MDMK, VCK, Muslim League and Kerala Congress (Mani) will be invited to the second meeting.