* This is going to be a fireworks-loaded week. Although, the Opposition parties have geared up finally likely to bury their hatchets and agreed to come on a united platform, their differences are still visible. The meeting that Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has convened on June 23 in Patna, will define the Opposition's strategy in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Meanwhile, in the western part of the country, former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray is still fighting for his father's legacy and will celebrate Shiv Sena foundation day, and so will present CM Eknath Shinde. A year ago, Shinde rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership and eventually became the CM. Later, he was allowed to keep the party name and the Sena's bow & arrow symbol as well. Since then Uddhav Thackeray has been trying to gather support and preparing to challenge Shinde in the next assembly election, which is likely to be held just a few months after the Lok Sabha polls next year.
Stay with ABP Live as we try to cut the clutter around the latest news from the political arena and help you understand what is likely to happen in The Week Ahead. Here are the biggest political developments expected to play out this week.
'UNITED OPPOSITION' MEET ON JUNE 23. WILL PARTIES BURY THE HATCHET?
All eyes will be on the mega Opposition meet, convened by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Monday. While Kumar is hopeful of uniting the Opposition parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the job will prove to be a Herculean task.
Every healthy alliance is based on a symbiotic relationship under a 'give-and-take' policy. However, this is the most pressing concern that needs to be addressed. Former Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Ghulam Nabi Azad have also pointed out this concern. Azad, in fact, has said that an alliance among the Opposition parties is impossible as they have nothing to offer one another.
Also, the Congress, which is hoping to have a seat of great importance at the table, may prove to be part of the problem. While Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav were already against an alliance with Congress in it, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is also likely to join that bandwagon. After it spurned Kejriwal's request for support against the Centre's ordinance on Delhi's administrative postings, the AAP is likely to agree to come on a 'United Opposition' platform only if its Congress-mukt. The Congress workers' black-flag protest agaisnt Kejriwal in Rajasthan on Sunday is not going to make matters easier for the Grand Old Party either. But with Congress's win in the Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka elections this year and the JD(S) slowly leaning towards the BJP, can the others ignore it?
It remains to be seen now what offers are put on the table by each party on June 23. Even if they somehow manage to overcome differences, the most important question would remain -- Modi vs who?
JITAN RAM MANJHI'S FIRST HAM PANEL MEET AFTER QUITTING JD(U) ALLIANCE ON JUNE 19
The crucial executive committee meeting of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM-Secular), led by Jitan Ram Manjhi, will be held on Monday. This will be an all-important meeting for the former CM as he decides on the future course of action for his party.
This will be the party's first executive committee meeting since breaking ties with the Grand Alliance government in Bihar.
Santosh Kumar Suman, the son of former Bihar CM and HAM(S) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi, resigned from Nitish Kumar's cabinet on June 13. After severing ties with the grand alliance, Manjhi accused the Nitish Kumar government of acting against the interests of the common people.
A day after Suman's resignation, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar accused Manjhi of "spying on Mahagathbandhan allies" for the benefit of the BJP and considered his departure a good riddance.
Kumar acknowledged that Manjhi desired to participate in the June 23 meeting of opposition parties, but he was concerned that Manjhi might disclose details of the gathering to the BJP. "He (Manjhi) maintained constant contact with BJP leaders and recently met several BJP leaders... Although he wanted to attend the June 23 meeting of opposition leaders, I had concerns that he might leak the issues discussed on that day. Therefore, I suggested merging HAM(S) with the JD(U). When he declined, I asked him to leave the grand alliance... It's good that he has departed," Kumar later said.
It now remains to be seen whether Kumar's "sacrifice" of an ally in the state for the greater United Opposition alliance pays off.
THACKERAY, SHINDE FACTIONS TO MARK SHIV SENA FOUNDATION DAY FOR FIRST TIME SINCE SPLIT
The Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray factions will vie for Balasaheb Thackeray's legacy again as both mark the foundation day of the Shiv Sena on Monday. The celebrations will take place at two different venues in Mumbai and are expected to feature mudslinging as each faction vies for recognition as the true successor of the late Bal Thackeray, the party's founder.
The Shiv Sena underwent a split in June of the previous year, triggered by Shinde's rebellion against then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Subsequently, the party name and 'bow and arrow' symbol were allotted to Shinde's faction, while the Thackeray faction adopted the name Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
This will be the first time that the foundation day of the Shiv Sena will be celebrated since the split occurred. The Shinde-led Shiv Sena will organise its event at the NESCO ground in northwest Mumbai, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) will hold its event at Shanmukhanand Hall in central Mumbai. Both sides will renew their claims to the authentic identity of the Sena.
NCP TO OBSERVE 'GADDAR DAY' TO MARK EKNATH SHINDE'S REBELLION
The NCP has declared June 20 as 'Gaddar Day' (Traitors' Day) to commemorate the first anniversary of the Shiv Sena rebellion led by Eknath Shinde, which resulted in the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in June 2022. The MVA consists of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), NCP, and Congress.
Jayant Patil, the State Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief, has urged party members to protest against the rebel MLA from Shiv Sena. He called for NCP workers to stage demonstrations throughout the state, symbolically displaying "khoke" (money boxes) that represent the means by which the Eknath Shinde-led government came to power.
Patil appealed to NCP workers to inform the public that the temporary joy of the Shinde camp, recognized by the Election Commission as the real Shiv Sena, is dwindling and their days in government are numbered.
The NCP, under the leadership of Sharad Pawar, previously organized public meetings to explain the Supreme Court verdict on the Maharashtra political crisis, highlighting how Speaker Rahul Narvekar is obligated to disqualify 16 rebel MLAs.
Stay tuned to ABP Live as we track the updates on these stories and more.
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