Chandrababu Naidu meets Rahul Gandhi on firming up anti-BJP front after poll results on May 23

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu met Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday and discussed the need to bring all Opposition parties together and set up an anti-BJP front after the Lok Sabha election results are declared on May 23. In the hour-long meeting with Gandhi, sources said, Naidu discussed the impending need to bring together all parties which are against the BJP after the election results are declared. Sources said Naidu also told Gandhi to have a strategy ready in case the BJP falls short of numbers and still stakes claim to form the government, news agency PTI reported.

Before meeting the Congress chief, Naidu met CPI leaders Sudhakar Reddy and D Raja. He is scheduled to meet NCP chief Sharad Pawar and LJD leader Sharad Yadav in the national capital later in the day. In the evening, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister is also scheduled to meet Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow.

Naidu is also in touch with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee over the phone on this issue, the sources added.

On Friday, Naidu had said that not only the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) but any outfit which is against the saffron party are welcome to join a grand alliance after the election results are declared.

He had also met AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as well as CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury on the matter.

The seven-phase polling will end on Sunday and the counting of votes will be done on May 23.