A planned meeting of opposition parties scheduled for June 12 in Patna, Bihar, was postponed on Sunday with no specific rescheduling announced. The reason for the delay in meeting, intended to be presided over by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, was not immediately disclosed.

The news comes soon after the bridge collapse fiasco in Bhagalpur that resurfaced the inefficacy of Nitish’s ruling government.

Reason for postponement could be Congress' refusal to join

However, sources indicate that the meeting's postponement occurred due to the Congress party declining to participate.

Previously, the Congress party stated unequivocally that party president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi would not be present at the meeting set for June 12.

Sources have indicated that a future date for the meeting will be revealed at a later time.

The gathering was perceived as Nitish's endeavor to enhance the solidarity among opposition parties. In recent times, the Chief Minister of Bihar embarked on visits to various states, including Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Karnataka, with the aim to "unify" like-minded parties against the ruling BJP at the national level.

Nitish Kumar's efforts to unite opposition

On April 12, Nitish initially met with Congress leaders, prompting Rahul Gandhi to describe the meeting as a "historic step" towards opposition unity. 

Additionally, he held discussions with Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, as well as Odisha Chief Minister Nabin Patnaik and others. In May, Nitish engaged with Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Nitish's efforts to establish a connection with Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik resulted in the allocation of 1.5 acres of land in Puri for pilgrims from Bihar. However, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik did not express a firm commitment to joining the non-BJP opposition coalition for the 2024 elections.

The primary objective of the opposition meeting is reportedly to secure a consensus on a candidate who can contest against the BJP in at least 450 constituencies, as identified by Nitish, in order to challenge the saffron party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Nitish's efforts to establish a connection with Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik resulted in the allocation of 1.5 acres of land in Puri for pilgrims from Bihar. However, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik did not express a firm commitment to joining the non-BJP opposition coalition for the 2024 elections.

The primary objective of the opposition meeting is reportedly to secure a consensus on a candidate who can contest against the BJP in at least 450 constituencies, as identified by Nitish, in order to challenge the saffron party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.