Thackeray to host lunch for Nitish with Oppn unity on the menu

Mumbai, May 9 Janata Dal (U) President and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will arrive in Mumbai on Thursday morning as part of his Opposition unity efforts, and hold meetings with top Maharashtra leaders, an official said here on Tuesday.

Nitish Kumar will meet Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray over lunch at ‘Matoshri' in Bandra, before meeting Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar over tea at the latter's ‘Silver Oaks' home in south Mumbai.

The JD(U) supremo shall be accompanied by Bihar Legislative Council Chairman Deveshchandra Thakur, and Cooperation Minister Sanjaykumar Jha for the meetings with the Maharashtra leaders, said JD(U) National Secretary, Kapil Patil.

Last fortnight, Thakur had met both Pawar and Thackeray ahead of Nitish Kumar's plans to visit Maharashtra on May 11.

Continuing his efforts to forge a national front comprising all non-BJP forces, Nitish Kumar has so far met Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Odish CM Navin Patnaik and also former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav, said Patil.