As many as 17 opposition parties on Friday resolved to fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections unitedly to defeat the BJP and work with flexibility by setting aside their differences.

Addressing a joint press conference after an almost four-hour-long meeting, during which leaders of 17 parties expressed their views, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said the leaders will meet in the next few days to give final shape to their plan of fighting together.

"We had a good meeting and several leaders expressed their views during the meeting. 17 parties have decided to work together and contest the Lok Sabha elections unitedly," Kumar told reporters.

Kumar, who hosted the first such meeting, said they were working in the national interest and accused the BJP of acting against the national interest as it was trying to change the country's history.

Kharge on 'common agenda'

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced that the next meeting of opposition leaders would be held in Shimla in Himachal Pradesh next month.

"We have decided to prepare a common agenda and will take decisions in the next meeting on how to move forward," he said.

"We will have to evolve separate plans for every state and we will work together to dethrone the BJP at the Centre," he added.

Rahul eyes flexibility

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said,"We may have some differences but have decided to work together with flexibility and will work to protect our ideology". Before the meeting, Rahul accused the BJP of working to "divide India and spread hate and violence". Accusing the BJP and RSS of having the 'Bharat Todo' mentality, he said, "On the one hand, there is the Congress' 'Bharat Jodo' ideology and the BJP and RSS' 'Bharat Todo' thinking is on the other hand."

Mamata's 1:1 formula

West Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said the first meet was organised in Patna as "Whatever starts from Patna, takes the shape of the public movement." Mamata also spoke about the 1:1 formula to fight the Lok Sabha polls. "We are here to fight against the BJP together. We are looking at a 1:1 formula to fight the Lok Sabha polls. Whatever policy we decide from this meeting will be applicable to every party," she was quoted as saying.

"We all are united and will fight unitedly against BJP," she said and added that "the BJP wants to change history but we'll ensure that history is saved".

She also asserted that they were not opposition parties but were also citizens of the country who had patriotism and loved 'Bharat Mata'.