Revealed: Is it Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi in 2024 Lok Sabha polls?

New Delhi: With prime minister Narendra Modi seeking a third term in 2024, the big question is — who will be the opposition's prime ministerial candidate?

Well, the answer to this billion-dollar question lies in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's ongoing visit to the United States.

Here is how it is building up.

On day-1, Indian Overseas Congress chairperson Sam Pitroda delivered a 10-minute-long speech to introduce Gandhi's first public programme in Santa Clara.

Pitroda said, "On one hand, new technology is going to eliminate jobs. On the other hand, we need a lot many more jobs. So, our challenges are very special and we need a young mind like Rahul to lead the country."

"We need someone with an open mind. We need someone who has broader exposure, and global experience. And, that is the reason we are all here meeting and interacting with a large number of people," he added.

In an interview in Washington DC on Thursday, a highly-charged Gandhi with a thumping victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls claimed that there is a hidden undercurrent building and it will "surprise" the people in the next general elections.

To unseat Modi and BJP from power, it is understood that the opposition is set to fight together on 350-400 seats.

Congress has time and again said that no opposition unity will succeed if it is not at the centre of any such effort. However, the grand old party clearly knows that projecting Gandhi as a claimant to the PM post would derail the idea of 'Opposition unity'.

Even as Gandhi asserted that the Opposition in India is pretty well united, he is aware of the complications when it comes to the 'Opposition unity'.

"It's a complicated discussion because there are spaces where we have been competing also with (other) Opposition (parties). So, it's a little bit of give and take as required. But I'm confident that that will happen,” he added.

Even though no one is speaking in the open, it is believed that there are many claimants to the prime minister's post and no opposition party wants anyone to claim the post before the elections.

Opposition unity faced hurdles as and when opposition leaders such as Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and KCR realised that the opposition unity is an effort to make Rahul Gandhi the prime minister.

Particularly, for this reason, it is believed that Congress fronted Nitish Kumar to negotiate with all other opposition leaders. Kumar has held multiple rounds of talks to give shape to the 'Opposition unity'.

In effect, Congress has been able to bring the opposition together to make Rahul Gandhi the next prime minister of India and now projecting him as a person to lead India on global platforms.