BIG SCOOP: Sonia Gandhi makes big outreach to fence-sitter parties; BJD, TRS and YSRCP among non-NDA/UPA members invited to 2019 Lok Sabha election results day meet on May 23

With the nation now awaiting the seventh and final phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections post which the path will be cleared for the big results on May 23, Republic TV has accessed a critical scoop on the Congress attempt to strengthen Opposition unity for what will happen thereon.

UPA chairperson and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has written to a number of parties - both UPA allies and other non-NDA parties - including the BJD, YSRCP, TDP and TRS inviting them for a meeting on result day, as per sources, in order for a message to be sent that they are all rallying together on the verdict.

Sources added that Sonia Gandhi is writing personally to all the parties mentioned above and that the meeting, depending on or irrespective of the result, may witness a discussion on the roadmap for the future course of action.

In addition, special efforts are being made to bring the non-committal non-NDA parties, namely Naveen Patnaik's BJD, KCR-led TRS and Jagan Mohan Reddy-led TRS onboard for the proposed meeting.

As per inputs, the deeper story behind the invitation to the TRS is that at his meeting with UPA-ally DMK on Tuesday, KCR was told by MK Stalin that he should support the UPA to form a government at the Centre when the time comes.

Meanwhile, in terms of the BJD, sources have told Republic TV that Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath has personally spoken to Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik inviting him to the meeting. This comes against the backdrop of Patnaik and PM Modi being complimentary to each other and working in tandem over the state's response to Cyclone Fani which has been appreciated widely, including by the United Nations.

The three parties - BJD, TRS and YSRCP - had won 20, 11 and 8 seats respectively in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Their total of 39 is bigger than any single party apart from the BJP and Congress which had won 282 and 44 seats respectively.