NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Thursday evening met Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi in the national capital on his arrival from Mumbai and told them that efforts should be made to broadbase Opposition unity against BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He told them that Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal too should be taken on board for the purpose.

“Opposition parties’ thinking is exactly what Khargeji told you (about the need for Opposition unity). But mere thinking will not help. A process needs to be started. This is just the beginning. After this, talks will be held with other important opposition parties – be it Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal or others – to try to integrate them into this process,” Pawar told media persons.

Pawar is expected to use his political network for these talks. He is also known to share warm ties with many leaders, including Banerjee, Kejriwal and KCR who have uneasy ties with the Congress brass.

On Wednesday, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar promised to make efforts in that direction. Though Congress leadership had invited Pawar to join them in talks with Kumar and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, Pawar could make it to Delhi only on Thursday due to his commitments in Maharashtra. Incidentally, Thursday’s was the first meeting between Pawar and the Congress leadership after he differed with them on the Adani issue.

After the meeting, Kharge said: “We are happy Pawar saheb reached and gave us his guidance… There is a need for Opposition unity in order to save our democracy, protect our Constitution and to take up issues such as unemployment and inflation… We are ready to unite, we will meet more leaders and that is what Pawar saheb has advised us.”

Gandhi said as Pawar and Kharge said, the process for the unity of Opposition parties would be taken forward.