The country willwitness a high voltage political showdown this week, with the ruling NDA and Opposition parties both flexing numbers ahead of next year’s general elections. While the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has announced a mega meet in New Delhi on Tuesday, expecting nearly 30 parties to reiterate support to the alliance, 24 Opposition parties will also meet in Bengaluru on Monday and Tuesday to iron out their differences and project a united front against the BJP ahead of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament which starts on July 20. The NDA meeting will be chaired by BJP President JP Nadda and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Other than their alliance partners, the BJP has also invited several new allies and some former ones to the meet, which will take place at Delhi’s Ashok Hotel on Tuesday evening. Not all parties in the NDA have a presence in the Parliament.
Four leaders from Bihar — Chirag Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Jitan Ram Manjhi of Hindustani Awam Morcha, Upendra Singh Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, and Mukesh Sahani of the Vikassheel Insaan Party — have been invited, and their parties will be included in the NDA. Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) hassaid that it has decided to participate in the opposition parties meeting which is scheduled to be held in Bengaluru. The AAP took this decision in its Parliamentary Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting which was held on Sunday. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann also joined the meeting through the video conference.