Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to hold Oppn meets over President Polls

By Our Special Correspondent

Mamata Banerjee Chief Minister of West Bengal on Tuesday met Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar at his residence in Delhi. During the meeting, Mamata Banerjee asked Sharad Pawar to be the opposition candidate for the presidential election. The NCP chief, however, turned down the offer, saying he wanted to be active in politics.

Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday arrived in the national capital for a meeting of non-BJP parties set up to formulate a joint strategy for the upcoming presidential election. The presidential election will be held on July 18 and the results will be announced on July 21.

During the meeting, Mamata Banerjee and Sharad Pawar discussed the upcoming presidential election. Sources told India Today TV that despite the NCP chief rejecting Mamata Banerjee's nomination as the opposition candidate for the presidential election, Mamata Banerjee is likely to nominate her again at a meeting on Wednesday.

Last week, TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to 22 opposition leaders and chief ministers asking them to attend a meeting at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on June 15. Non-BJP parties, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Achury, have been asked to attend the meeting. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who is campaigning for the presidency, is also expected to attend the meeting.

Mamata Banerjee said in the letter that the presidential election provided an opportunity for all progressive opposition parties to rethink the future course of Indian politics while being plagued by "divisive forces".