Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge reach Patna for opposition meeting

Patna: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi received a rousing welcome on Friday upon arrival in Patna where he flew in to attend a crucial opposition meeting convened by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Gandhi, who is in Bihar for the first time after the state assembly polls of 2020, was accompanied by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary in charge of organisation, K C Venugopal.

Nitish Kumar arrived at the Jayaprakash Narayan airport to receive the Congress leaders and welcomed them as they deboarded the plane.

The airport was chock-a-block with Congress workers and supporters, eager to catch a glimpse of Gandhi, the response of whose 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' has infused the grand old party's cadre with fresh vigour.

The city has been teeming with political bigwigs, pouring in from all parts of the country, who are expected to chalk out a joint strategy for taking on the formidable BJP in the next Lok Sabha elections.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah arrived earlier in the morning.

Many other leaders including Mehbooba Mufti, Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann and M K Stalin have been camping in the city since Thursday.