Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu to meet West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata ahead of all-opposition meeting. LIVE UPDATES

Update at 5:57 pm: We are in touch with Mayawati ji and others...Those who are opposing BJP, we are together: N Chandrababu Naidu

Update at 5:55 pm: There's a democratic compulsion to stay together. At the same time there's huge pressure from CBI , CAG. You have seen how RBI governor threatened. You have demonetisation: N Chandrababu Naidu

Update at 5:54 pm: Today as a senior leader, Mamata ji and me have some responsibilities to save democracy, protect the nation: N Chandrababu Naidu

Update at 5:10 pm: Mamata Banerjee - N Chandrababu Naidu meet underway in Kolkata

Update at 4:23 pm: N Chandrababu Naidu is greeted by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee before the two head for a meeting

 

---

In his quest to bring all the opposition parties together in order to defeat BJP and PM Narendra Modi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu will meet West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday.

The meeting, which is expected to be followed by an all opposition party meet a few days later, will see the two political supremos chalk out the strategy for the upcoming general assembly, after which they will give out a joint statement.

If the recent developments of Naidu are to be believed, a repeat of 1996 United Front or 2004 UPA coalition may very well be on the cards. He has already met the likes of Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy, DMK chief MK Stalin and CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury.

On October 8, he met Kumaraswamy and former PM HD Deve Gowda at the latter's residence in Bengaluru. The trio, in their press briefing, confirmed of working together to oust BJP from power in 2019. It was at this very meeting that the repeat of 1996 United Front was talked about. 

"CM Chandrababu Naiduji took the lead and met Rahul Gandhi, and met other regional leaders like Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah, Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati, DMK leader MK Stalin. He has contacted me several times. He is doing his best to remove NDA government, to the consolidate all secular parties in order to end NDA rule in 2019," said Gowda before his son and Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy mentioned that "1996 is going to be repeated in 2019".

It was then followed by a meeting between Naidu and Stalin in Chennai, where Naidu made it very clear that he wants to meet all the opposition parties, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

"I am going to meet Mamata Bannerjee again. I will also meet Rahulji although we have differences," he said before adding, "He is leading INC which is the main opposition party and it is an anchor party, they have a pan India base,.. even Mamata is very strong in Bengal, I am strong in my state."

The recent most leader whom Naidu met was CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury, where the latter stated that there is a huge possibility of a 2004-like coalition. After his meeting with the Andhra CM, he said,

"In 2004, UPA was created after the polls, the coalition was formed in the states. The same will happen in 2019, the coalition will happen in states after the polls, gatbhandhan will happen in the states."