Ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning on 20 July, both the ruling NDA and the Opposition parties are gearing up for key meetings next week to finalise their respective strategies for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

BJP President J P Nadda has convened a meeting of the NDA in New Delhi on 18 July in what is likely to be a show of strength by the ruling dispensation against the backdrop of attempts being made by the Opposition parties to forge unity and jointly challenge the Modi regime in the next Lok Sabha polls.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has convened a meeting of the Opposition parties in Bengaluru on 17-18 July. This will be the second meeting of the Opposition, which met in Patna last month at a meeting convened by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

The NDA meeting is expected to be attended by several new allies of the BJP and some former ones, including the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) of Chirag Paswan. Union minister Nityanand Rai met Paswan last night for the second time in a week, and the LJP(R) leader also shared a letter written to him by Nadda, inviting him to attend the NDA meeting.

Nadda described the regional party as a key constituent of the NDA and a key partner in the PM Modi-led government’s push for the development and welfare of the poor.

Top leaders of at least 24 political parties would attend the Opposition meeting. According to sources, eight new parties have extended their support to the Opposition parties’ efforts to present a united front against the BJP-led NDA.

Congress President Kharge has invited top opposition leaders to participate in the meeting. He had last week, in a letter addressed to the top Opposition leaders, reminded them about their participation in the 23 June Opposition meeting held in Patna.

“The meeting was a great success as we were able to discuss various important issues that threaten our democratic polity and came to a unanimous agreement on unitedly fighting the next General Elections,” Kharge had said in his invitation letter. He further reminded the leaders that they had all agreed to meet again in July.

Asked about the expectations from the Opposition meeting, Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal said: ”It will be a fruitful continuation of the Patna meeting.”