Naidu knits anti-BJP front : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

Naidu knits anti-BJP front

NEW DELHI: The opposition parties today intensified efforts to form an anti-BJP front ahead of May 23 results with TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu meeting UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to discuss the possible post-poll scenarios.

Naidu knits anti-BJP front

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu meets NCP chief Sharad Pawar in New Delhi. TDP leader Ram Mohan Rao is also seen. PTI



Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 19

The opposition parties today intensified efforts to form an anti-BJP front ahead of May 23 results with TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu meeting UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to discuss the possible post-poll scenarios.

Naidu, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, also held a second round of talks with Congress president Rahul Gandhi and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. These meetings were significant as Naidu is learnt to have conveyed to the two opposition leaders the “positive feedback” he had received from SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP president Mayawati, who may also soon call on Sonia and Rahul.

Naidu, who last evening called on leaders of SP and BSP in Lucknow, said talks with both were favourable.

The TDP chief also had lunch meeting with CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury in the capital today before meeting Sonia this evening and he is learnt to have flagged to the opposition leaders an exit poll (see box) that predicts 179 Lok Sabha seats for the BJP; 129 for the Congress and 234 for other parties.

With Naidu concluding preliminary talks with other opposition veterans, including Sharad Yadav of Loktantrik Janata Dal, Sudhakar Reddy and D Raja of the CPI and Arvind Kejriwal of the AAP in the capital today before returning to Andhra, the ball is now in the court of the Congress that has to decide whether to call a formal meeting of the anti-BJP partners. The Tribune has, however, learnt there is no plan of a formal meeting of anti-BJP parties yet, though attempts may be made to keep letters of opposition parties’ support for a potential anti-BJP coalition ready should the May 23 trends favour the opposition over the BJP.

There is a sense in the opposition camp that they may have a chance at government formation if the BJP falls significantly short of majority and the opposition can prove that the wider anti-BJP regional players would back a non-BJP coalition, and not a BJP-led formulation. This explains why Rahul said in last press conference that though the BSP, SP, RLD and other regional players like the TMC fought Lok Sabha elections independently of the Congress, all these parties were unlikely to back the BJP post results. It’s in this window that the Congress’ hope of a UPA type of coalition lies, even though the poll of polls today predicted a clear NDA sweep.


AP CM’s exit polls predict 179 for BJP

  • Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu is learnt to have flagged to opposition leaders an exit poll that predicts 179 seats for the BJP; 129 for the Congress and 234 for other parties 
  • The survey Naidu is banking on gives him a majority 118 seats in Andhra Assembly as against 52 to the YSRCP
  • The same poll projects 17 of the 25 LS seats to the TDP as against seven to YSRCP

BJP will return with majority 

There is a very encouraging atmosphere for the BJP in the country. I have full faith the Modi government will once again form the government with full majority. Sumitra Mahajan, LS speaker

It’s whitewash for BJP in Bihar, UP 

For the BJP, it would be soopda saaf (whitewash) in Bihar and UP at the hands of grand alliance. They didn’t win 300 in 2014 despite the Modi lahar... Now the lahar has become kahar (curse). Shatrughan Sinha, Congress leader

BJP to get 74-plus seats in UP

The BJP will form the next government at the Centre under PM Narendra Modi with a massive mandate of 300-plus seats of the BJP and 400 plus of the NDA allies. In UP, the BJP will get 74-plus seats. Yogi Adityanath, UP CM

Never seen such a thing before

The way TMC workers were tortured jointly by BJP workers and CRPF was unprecedented... See campaigning is over now. So won’t say anything about it till the results are out. Mamata Banerjee, WB CM

Who am I to bless Modi?

Who am I?... People are blessing him (when asked whether his blessing are with Modi who is again in the fray from Varanasi).  Murli Manohar Joshi, BJP veteran & Varanasi ex-MP

Top News

Lok Sabha polls: PM Modi holds massive roadshow in Palakkad

Lok Sabha polls: PM Modi holds massive roadshow in Palakkad

Modi’s Palakkad roadshow follows his recent participation at...

Patanjali advertising case: Supreme Court asks Ramdev, Balkrishna to appear before it

Patanjali advertising case: Supreme Court asks Ramdev, Balkrishna to appear before it

The bench also issued notice to Ramdev to show cause why con...


Cities

View All