PATNA/BHUBANESWAR: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will meet his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik today that is on Tuesday.
He will also go to Mumbai to meet leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, including NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena-UBT chief and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on May 11. He will stay in the Naveen Nivas from 12pm to 3pm and will have lunch with CM Naveen Patnaik during his stay. Nitish will return to Patna after staying at Naveen’s residence from 12:00 to 3:00.
JD-U national President Lalan Singh said that Nitish Kumar has telephonic conversations with these three leaders and he is going there for the meeting.
Though the motive behind Nitish Kumar’s visit is not clear yet, speculations are rife that discussion on the formation of United Front may be a topic between the two leaders during their meeting.
Patnaik is known for his neutral politics in Odisha, trying to be equidistant from both the BJP and the Congress. However, in the last few years, the BJP is trying to make inroads in the coastal state and Nitish Kumar is looking to utilise this gap to draw Patnaik into the opposition ambit. If Patnaik joins the opposition, it would be a big achievement for Nitish Kumar.
