Mamata's opposition meet: Who are attending, who are not?

New Delhi, Jun 15: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is set to hold a meeting with several Opposition leaders on Wednesday to discuss presidential polls in a bid to put up a united fight against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance.

However, many big leaders are expected to skip the meeting called by the TMC supremo. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, speaking with ANI, said that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray are going to skip the meeting.

"MK Stalin (TN CM), K Chandrashekar Rao (Telangana CM), Uddhav Thackeray (Maharashtra CM) & many big leaders aren't participating...we want unity and a unanimous (Presidential) candidate," the news agency quoted him as saying.

However, MK Stalin's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) will be represented by TR Baalu while Shiv Sena's Subhash Desai will attend the meeting. As far as the Congress is concerned, Kharge, Jairam Ramesh and Randeep Surjewala are expected to be part of the meet.

Naveen Patnaik's BJD is unlikely to be part of the meeting, party sources have said and Andhra CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will be not part of the meeting as he was not among the 22 opposition leaders to whom the West Bengal CM wrote to devise a joint opposition strategy for the July 18 presidential election.

"As far as issues pertaining to the presidential election are concerned, our party president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik would take a call at the right time. The CM has already stated that BJD's support in the presidential election will be based on selection of candidates, which is yet to be done. Why should we be part of any group?" The Times of India quoted a senior BJD functionary as saying.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will not attend the Opposition parties' meeting called by West Bengal CM & TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in Delhi, today. AAP will consider the issue only after the candidate for the upcoming Presidential election is declared, sources informed ANI.

In a statement, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) confirmed that it will be represented by Rajya Sabha MP Elamaram Kareem.

TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has decided to skip the meeting as it is being attended by Congress. After a five-hour meeting with the senior party members, he took the decision to maintain equidistant from Congress and the BJP.

The election to choose the next President of India will be held on July 18 and the results will be announced on July 21.