In second round of talks, Naidu meets Sonia and Pawar
Continuing his efforts to unite opposition parties against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of Lok Sabha results, Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday met United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and held a second round of talks with other top opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Sharad Pawar.
Naidu, who arrived in the national capital on Friday, had met Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Pawar, Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav and leaders of the Communist Party of India on Saturday as well.
He then flew to Lucknow and met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati. Sunday’s meeting assumes significance as Naidu met Gandhi and Pawar after holding talks with the SP and BSP chiefs, who have not openly come in favour of an opposition alliance so far.
Naidu had met the leaders on a day a second regional political satrap, former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, backed Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to lead such a formation. The first to do so was MK Stalin of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
On being asked the purpose of Sunday’s meeting, Pawar said it was a meeting to assess the “elections in their respective states”. “We are waiting for counting day to take further steps,” the NCP chief said.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury also met the Congress president and the Andhra Pradesh chief minister in the Capital on Sunday.
The TDP chief’s deliberations
Continuing his efforts to unite opposition parties against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of Lok Sabha results, Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday met United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and held a second round of talks with other top opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Sharad Pawar.
Naidu, who arrived in the national capital on Friday, had met Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Pawar, Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav and leaders of the Communist Party of India on Saturday as well.
He then flew to Lucknow and met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati. Sunday’s meeting assumes significance as Naidu met Gandhi and Pawar after holding talks with the SP and BSP chiefs, who have not openly come in favour of an opposition alliance so far.
Naidu had met the leaders on a day a second regional political satrap, former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, backed Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to lead such a formation. The first to do so was MK Stalin of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
On being asked the purpose of Sunday’s meeting, Pawar said it was a meeting to assess the “elections in their respective states”. “We are waiting for counting day to take further steps,” the NCP chief said.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury also met the Congress president and the Andhra Pradesh chief minister in the Capital on Sunday.
The TDP chief’s deliberations are part of his efforts to unite non-National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parties and bring them together on one platform to stake their claim for next government formation in case the NDA fails to get the majority mark.
Naidu has held several rounds of discussion with various opposition leaders, including Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.
Naidu’s TDP was a part of the NDA, but quit the alliance a few months ago.
The Congress and other opposition parties have exuded confidence of forming the next government.
