Naidu engages wider Oppn, should results go against BJP

NEW DELHI: The Opposition today stepped up efforts to stitch an anti-BJP front, with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi holding her first key meeting with the Congress top brass to discuss the post May 23 strategy and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu engaging the wider Opposition in another move.

Andhra Pradesh CM and TDP president Chandrababu Naidu with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow. PTI

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 18

The Opposition today stepped up efforts to stitch an anti-BJP front, with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi holding her first key meeting with the Congress top brass to discuss the post May 23 strategy and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu engaging the wider Opposition in another move.

Preliminary discussions on potential exit poll trends and possibilities on May 23 are learnt to have been discussed at a meeting of the Congress core committee held at the residence of Sonia Gandhi.

The Congress wants to keep its strategy ready for May 23, the day Lok Sabha 2019 results will start pouring in. The Congress’ hope is a repeat of 2004 when the party won 145 seats on its own and managed to trump the Atal Behari Vajpayee-led BJP by forming an alliance government. Top Congress leaders are pinning hopes on the large silent undercurrent turning in their favour, in which case the Opposition could have a real chance.

At another level today, TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu stepped up engagement with the larger Opposition in bringing the anti- BJP parties on the same page should the numbers go against the ruling BJP.

Naidu met Rahul Gandhi this morning and later held parleys with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav and CPI leaders Sudhakar Reddy and D Raja. Later, Naidu flew to Lucknow and met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP president Mayawati.

The TDP chief, who earlier met TMC president and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is likely to meet her again and has said he would be happy to work with YSRCP and TRS in the South to keep the BJP at bay.

Congress sources, meanwhile, indicated they were happy to let Naidu do the coordination, which would prove handy should trends favour the larger Opposition.

With Sonia Gandhi expected to helm the anti-BJP front again, it remains to be seen how many Opposition parties the Congress can pull to its side.