Bengaluru: 2nd joint meeting of Opposition parties from today

News Summary: 

• Congress rallies support from 25 parties for Opposition Unity meeting in Bengaluru ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
• Leaders of 26 Opposition parties to gather in Bengaluru to present a united front against the BJP government.
• Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar oversees preparations for the meeting.
• Informal meeting and dinner scheduled on July 17; official meeting, press conference, and campaign strategy announcement on July 18.
• Discussion expected on opposition alliance name, common minimum program, fielding common candidates, alliances in states, ticket distribution, and Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

Bengaluru (Karnataka): Gearing up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress has rallied support from a total of 25 parties for the second Opposition Unity meeting in Karnataka's Bengaluru beginning on Monday. 

Leaders of at least 26 Opposition parties will converge at a hotel in Bengaluru on July 17-18 as part of their efforts to present a united front against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the Centre.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar, has been deputed as in-charge to monitor all the preparations for the meeting.

All the opposition leaders will start arriving for the meeting in the afternoon.

An informal meeting is scheduled at 6 pm after which there will be dinner at 8 pm. 

On July 18, the meeting will kick off at 11 am and will continue till 4 pm.  Following this, there will be a press conference in which the campaign strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls may be announced. 

Key Agenda: Fielding Common Candidates

According to sources, the name of the opposition alliance will be decided, and the common minimum program will be discussed in the Bengaluru meeting. 

Moreover, several committees are expected to be formed which will hold meetings to deliberate on various problems that may arise in the alliance. Various groups and sub-groups may also be formed, they said.

Sources said that a discussion may also be held on how to field a common opposition candidate on at least 80 per cent of the Lok Sabha seats against the BJP, how to have alliances in the states and how to distribute tickets at key constituencies.

Uniform Civil Code

"In the meeting, deliberations will also be held on Uniform Civil Code (UCC)," they added. 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also confirmed its presence at the meeting on Sunday. This came after the Congress made its stand clear and said that it will oppose the Centre's ordinance on administrative services in Delhi if a bill is brought to replace the ordinance in the Parliament. 

Mamata Banerjee  to join meeting despite injury

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to come for the opposition meeting as well despite her leg injury, following former Congress president Sonia Gandhi's call.

(With ANI inputs)