After rubbishing exit polls, Chandrababu Naidu meets Mamata in Kolkata
Kolkata, May 20 (IBNS): Amid several exit polls' predictions giving a clean sweep to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu met his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee on Monday to discuss post-poll strategy.
Naidu and Banerjee, the chiefs of Telegu Desam Party (TDP) and Trinamool Congress, have been taking leading roles in building a strong opposition against the BJP.
Naidu will once again hold a meeting with opposition leaders in New Delhi on Tuesday. Ahead of the meeting, he met Banerjee to discuss the strategy to stop BJP from forming governments.
Naidu in last few days met several opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati and Sharad Pawar.
The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, however, had said he is not in the run to become the Prime Minister if the Opposition comes to power.
Several exit polls have predicted the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will get around 300 seats, trumping the Opposition including a host of regional parties.
The exit polls have also predicted Naidu's TDP will fail to perform well in Andhra Pradesh while the Trinamool will have to make way for BJP's surge in West Bengal.
Reacting to the prediction, Naidu opined that the exit polls have no credibility and expressed confidence of the TDP winning election.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, he said that the welfare schemes implemented by his government would ensure the TDP’s win. He said that 23 non-BJP parties appealed the Election Commission of India for counting 50 per cent of VVPAT slips.
“We demand the counting of 50 per cent VVPAT slips. All VVPAT slips should be counted if there is discrepancy. The VVPAT slips should be given to the voter for personal verification and later they should be dropped in box while exercising franchise,” he said.
“I am going to Kolkata this evening to meet WB Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Later I will go to Delhi to intensify efforts to form alternative front to the BJP. We will take a decision in Delhi on meeting President of India,” Naidu had informed before his visit to Kolkata.
Banerjee has also discredited the exit polls' claims.
She had called it "gossip", and in a tweet, said: "The game plan is to manipulate or replace thousands of EVMs through this gossip".
The Lok Sabha polls ended on Sunday and the results will be out on May 23.
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