KCR snubbed by Akhilesh, Mayawati

New Delhi, Dec 27: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is trying to galvanise the regional parties for a non-BJP non Congress front for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

He met West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday and his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik on Sunday. He was also supposed to meet BSP supremo Mayawati and former UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav this week.

But, Akhilesh Yadav said in Lucknow on Wednesday that he would meet Rao after January 6 in Hyderabad and Mayawati has not yet given time to the Telangana Chief Minister.

Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) are key regional players in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.

According to reports, both SP and BSP have finalized the seat-pact in Uttar Pradesh and kept Congress away from the 'Coalition'.

In November, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party president Chandrababu Naidu met Mamata Banerjee and the two leaders spoke about taking on the BJP in 2019. KCR and Naidu, despite not being on very good terms with each other, are together fighting against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government. Last week, DMK President MK Stalin gave a ringing endorsement to Rahul Gandhi's candidature for prime ministership. Stalin showered Rahul Gandhi with praises, describing the Congress president as one leader who has the "ability to defeat the fascist BJP".

KCR, meanwhile, has kept distance from both Congress and the BJP. He has been critical of both Modi and Rahul Gandhi. In fact, KCR even called Rahul "bafoon" and "joker" days before Telangana went to polls. Congress had forged an alliance 'Mahakootami' with TDP and CPI to take on the TRS in Telangana polls but were unable to stop the KCR jaggurnaut.