Pawar, Gowda among leaders to attend opposition meeting called by Mamata Banerjee on presidential polls
Jun 14, 2022
By Payal Mehta
New Delhi [India], June 14 : Several opposition leaders will take part in the meeting called on Wednesday by Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee to discuss presidential polls to put up a united fight against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance.
The West Bengal Chief Minister flew to the national capital and met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar on Tuesday ahead of the meeting.
The presidential elections will take place on July 18 and the results will be declared on July 21.
Other leaders who would take part in the meeting include former minister HD Deve Gowda and his son and Janata Dal (S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, Rashtriya Lok Dal's Jayant Chaudhary and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti.
MK Stalin's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) will be represented by TR Baalu while Shiv Sena's Subhash Desai will attend the meeting.
Samajwadi Party and National Conference will also attend the meeting while Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party is yet to confirm its participation.
Sources said Congress will also participate in the meeting to be held at the Constitution Club. Congress leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Jairam Ramesh, and Randeep Singh Surjewala are likely to attend the meeting.
Banerjee has also sent an invitation to former BJP ally Shiromani Akali Dal but it is unlikely to attend the meeting.
Communist Party of India general secretary D Raja on Tuesday said that Left parties are likely to attend the meeting. CPI-M and other Left parties are rivals of the ruling TMC in Bengal.
Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal, which has been invited, is unlikely to attend the meeting.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is likely to send a representative even as party leader K Chandrashekar Rao is keen to forge an anti-BJP alliance.
KCR is likely to float a new political party at the national level as part of efforts to play a key role in national politics.
Banerjee had earlier written a letter to 22 leaders, including Left parties, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and chief ministers of opposition-ruled states.
