NCP president Sharad Pawar and his TMC counterpart Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that the country needed a strong and acceptable alternative to the Bharatiya Janata Party, and that all hard-working opposition parties were welcome to the anti-BJP fold.

West Bengal chief minister Banerjee and Pawar met in Mumbai on Wednesday to discuss the way ahead for the 2024 general elections. Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray could not meet her because of health issues, but his son and cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray and party MP Sanjay Raut interacted with her on Tuesday night. Aaditya called it a meeting that will take 
things forward.