14 opposition parties present in Patna meeting

Patna: Altogether 14 parties opposed to the BJP took part in the meeting convened here by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday to chalk out a joint strategy ahead of next year's Lok Sabha polls.

In the current Lok Sabha the combined strength of these parties accounts for less than 200 of the 543 seats, though their leaders are hopeful of together turning the tables on the saffron party which enjoys a brute majority with a 300 plus tally.

The Congress, which is seen as the principal rival of BJP, had won just a little over 50 seats, which was a slight improvement over its performance in 2014 when it won only 44 - an all time low.

Now riding high on its successes in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka and the response to Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', the Congress is hopeful of a strong comeback.

Two of the parties at the meeting - the RJD and CPI(ML) Liberation had failed to win a single seat in the last Lok Sabha polls though both performed well in the Bihar assembly polls held a year later. With their alliance firmly intact, they hope to do well in the parliamentary elections too.

Among the other parties, only Trinamool Congress, DMK and JD(U) had secured double digit tallies. The Shiv Sena had won 18 seats but it remains unclear how many of the MPs remain with the faction headed by Uddhav Thackeray, who has joined opposition unity chorus.

Other parties represented at the meeting are SP, AAP, NCP, CPI and CPI(M) besides Jammu and Kashmir-based People's Democratic Party and National Conference.