Presidential Polls 2022: AAP & TRS To Skip Meet Called By Mamata Banerjee To Decide Joint Opposition Candidate

Mamata Banerjee had written to 22 opposition leaders and chief ministers requesting them to attend the meeting on June 15 at the Constitution Club in the national capital.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

New Delhi: Ahead of the Presidential polls scheduled on July 18, Opposition parties will be holding a meeting today which has been called by the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to decide on a joint candidate for the election. Banerjee has convened a meeting of the non-BJP parties to formulate a strategy for the upcoming polls. 

However, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will skip today's meeting, according to an ANI report. 

Last week, Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, wrote to 22 opposition leaders and chief ministers requesting them to attend the meeting on June 15 at the Constitution Club in the national capital.

She wrote the letter to 22 leaders of non-BJP parties including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Saturday.

In the letter, she said the presidential election provides the perfect opportunity for all progressive opposition parties to reconvene and deliberate on the future course of Indian politics when "the divisive force" is plaguing it.

Congress likely to attend Mamata's oppn meet 

Congress is likely to send some leaders to attend the opposition meeting for deliberations over a joint opposition candidate for the post of President. according to a PTI report.

Banerjee, whose relations with the Congress have soured since her return to power for a third straight term in West Bengal, gave short shrift to the main opposition party and called a meeting to discuss the strategy for presidential polls.

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also the leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, Jairam Ramesh, and Randeep Surjewala may attend the meeting on behalf of the party.

Soon after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the election, Congress president Sonia Gandhi nominated Kharge as the interlocutor to engage other opposition parties in discussions.

Several opposition parties are likely to attend the meeting and take forward the discussion on the joint candidate.

Sharad Pawar refuses to be oppn's joint candidate for presidential elections

Meanwhile, ahead of the meeting, Mamata Banerjee and leaders of two Left parties on Tuesday met NCP chief Sharad Pawar at his residence separately to try and convince him to be the common opposition candidate for the top constitutional post.

The Maratha strongman, who has friends across the deeply divided political spectrum, however, turned down the proposal, sources in the opposition camp said, according to a PTI report.