Chandrababu meets Mamata to discuss post-poll prospects
Kolkata/New Delhi: Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu met Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee at the latter's residence in South Kolkata's Kalighat on Monday evening to discuss the prospects of the post-poll alliance.
However, neither of them spoke to the media following the around 45-minute-long meeting.
Naidu arrived at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at 5 pm and drove down to Banerjee's residence. A closed-door meeting was held between the two. Senior Trinamool Congress leaders including Abhishek Banerjee, TMC Youth Congress president and Mayor Firhad Hakim were present.
It was Banerjee who had brought the leaders of various political parties under the banner of the United India. On July 21, 2018, she had raised the slogan 'Come 2019 and BJP will be finished'. From the dais of the meeting which was held to remember the martyrs, Banerjee announced that a grand rally would be held at the Brigade Parade Ground on January 19, 2019. Leaders of 23 political parties took part in the mega rally and Naidu was among the first group of leaders who had supported the formation of the United India to counter the BJP.
On his invitation, Banerjee had addressed an election rally to support TDP candidate at Visakhapatnam. In response to Banerjee's call, Naidu came to Kharagpur and addressed an election rally.
Earlier, he came to support Banerjee when she was on a dharna to protest against the high-handedness of the Centre when CBI officials had raided the house of Rajeev Kumar, former Commissioner of Kolkata Police without any warrant.
Other regional leaders echoed similar views on Monday.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said there is no need to rely on "speculations based on speculation".
Rejecting the exit polls as a "fraud", RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said they are simply compulsions of the market purveyed through a different name.
Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami made light of the exit polls.
DMK President M K Stalin said he does not take the projections seriously and would wait for three days to know the people's mandate.
