New Delhi: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday spoke to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other Opposition leaders on the Presidential elections.
The other leaders Singh spoke to include Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge and Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav. Singh also spoke to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The BJD on Wednesday skipped the meeting of Opposition parties convened by Banerjee to build consensus on fielding a joint candidate against the NDA in the Presidential elections.
Leaders of 17 parties attended the meeting in New Delhi.
A BJD leader, requesting anonymity, said Naveen decided to stay away from the meeting taking into account “all aspects and keeping the interest of Odisha at the forefront”.
Despite its equidistant policy, the BJD had extended support to BJP’s Presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind in 2017, leading to talks about a tacit understanding between the parties that are rivals in the state. It is likely to go with an NDA-supported candidate again, party sources said.
