Mayawati to meet Sonia, Rahul today

Naidu holds second round of talks with Rahul, Sonia, Pawar, Yechury

NEW DELHI: Mayawati will meet with Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi on Monday in what is seen as a significant outreach after the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief carried out an acrimonious campaign that was unsparing of the Congress.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister attacked the BJP and the Congress in the same breath throughout her campaign in the national election, for which she teamed up with old rival Samajwadi Party.

But even as she left the Congress out of her gathbandhan in UP, Mayawati said all the votes of the alliance would go to the Congress in Amethi and Raebareli, the constituencies of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.

Mayawati's meeting with the Congress top two is the latest in a series of meetings among opposition parties ahead of the results on Thursday, May 23.

The three were last seen in public together when Janata Dal Secular leader HD Kumaraswamy took oath last year as chief minister of a coalition government with the Congress. Mayawati and Sonia Gandhi's big smiles and forehead bump portrayed bonhomie that was not to be for long.

The two parties failed to agree on seat sharing for the Madhya Pradesh state polls, and a furious Mayawati started clubbing the Congress along with the BJP as her top enemies. But now that the polls are over and talk revolves around numbers, Mayawati realizes that even if she wants the top post, no non-bjp coalition can come to power without Congress help.

Meanwhile, continuing his efforts to unite opposition parties against the BJP ahead of Lok Sabha results, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday met Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar and Sitaram Yechury, among other leaders.

He had on Saturday also held talks with several opposition leaders, including Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav in the national capital and with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati in Lucknow.

Naidu met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Nationalist Congress Party chief Pawar for the second consecutive day on Sunday morning, followed by a meeting with Sonia Gandhi in the evening.

He also held a separate meeting with CPI(M) general secretary Yechury and discussed the possibility of all opposition parties getting together.

The TDP chief 's efforts are being seen as part of the opposition strategy to bring all the non-nda parties together and form an alliance to keep the BJP out of power.

Naidu's meeting with Sonia Gandhi assumes significance as the latter held an internal meeting with top Congress leaders Saturday evening to assess the party's process and strategy to stake claim for government formation incase of a hung verdict on May 23 when the results are announced.

The Telugu Desam Party president has held several rounds of discussion with various opposition leaders, including TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

Naidu's TDP was part of the NDA, but quit the alliance a few months ago.

The Congress and other opposition parties have exuded confidence of forming the next government.

But even as she left the Congress out of her gathbandhan in UP, Mayawati said all the votes of the alliance would go to the Congress in Amethi and Raebareli, the constituencies of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi