Opp to meet today to discuss anti-BJP front

New Delhi: In a major step towards forming an anti-BJP front, top Opposition leaders will huddle here on Monday to discuss forging a grand alliance to take on the saffron party in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The meeting, significantly, comes a day before the results of the Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram Assembly polls are scheduled to be announced and the winter session of Parliament is slated to begin.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is coordinating the meeting. He has invited the leaders of all the non-BJP parties.
“The main agenda of the meeting is to chart the future course of action for forming a non-BJP front,” a source said.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi are likely to attend the meet, during which the Opposition is also expected to chalk out a joint strategy for the winter session of Parliament.
During the meeting at the Parliament House Annexe, the opposition parties were expected to discuss their responses to government bills and issues related to the Rafale deal and farmers, sources said.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy are expected to attend the meeting.
DMK president M K Stalin, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and LJD leader Sharad Yadav are also among those likely to attend the meeting.
BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was unlikely to be part of the meeting, the sources said, adding that he might join the anti-BJP alliance post the general election.
BSP chief Mayawati was also unlikely to take part in the meeting, but her close aide Satish Chandra Mishra might attend it, a source said.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav was likely to attend the Opposition meet, but in case he was unable to come, then senior party leader Ram Gopal Yadav would be present, a party source said. (PTI)