NEW DELHI: With the second meeting of 26 opposition parties, including the Congress, beginning in Bengaluru and the BJP convening an emergency meeting of the NDA allies in Delhi, the battlefront for next year's Lok Sabha elections has opened.

BJP's aim is to gather maximum votes by expanding the front and keeping the constituent parties together. This is the first time after the second Modi government came to power that a general meeting of the constituent parties has been convened. This is in the context of changing political environment in the country.

While 15 parties participated in the opposition meeting convened in Patna on June 23 at the initiative of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, 26 parties are participating in the meeting that is being held in Bengaluru on Monday and Tuesday.

In the discussion, which will start at 11 am at the Taj West End five-star hotel in Bengaluru, efforts are being made to reach an agreement on issues such as the name of the opposition front, common agenda, and seat sharing. The Muslim League and RSP, which were not invited last time, and the Kerala Congresses of both fronts in Kerala, are participating in the Bengaluru meeting hosted by the Congress.

A meeting presided by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was held at 6 pm on Monday. However, the main discussion will take place on Tuesday. Prominent Congress leaders such as Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will be participating. Although Sharad Pawar's NCP has split into two, party spokesperson Mahesh Tapase confirmed that Sharad Pawar will attend the meeting today. Meanwhile, CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, who came to the meeting, openly said that CPM will not form an alliance with Trinamool in Bengal.

NDA invitation to 38 parties
38 parties have been invited to the NDA meeting which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Ashoka Hotel in Delhi on Tuesday evening. Parties not having members in the Parliament have also been invited. The NDA aims to collect maximum votes. Apart from the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections, the NDA will also discuss the strategies to be adopted during the annual session of Parliament starting on July 20.

Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party, which was rumored to join the NDA, has not been invited to the meeting. This is to avoid antagonizing YSR Congress and Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy, who helped the BJP in Parliament. HD Kumaraswamy's JDS, which has an undeclared alliance with the BJP in Karnataka, is also expecting an invitation to the meeting.

Kerala leaders to arrive in Bengaluru

The high command has asked top Congress leaders of Kerala, including KPCC political committee members, to reach Bengaluru tomorrow. It is indicated that issues such as who among the sitting MPs should contest again in the next election will be discussed tomorrow.