Will go for state pacts, but we are pre-poll alliance: Opposition Leaders

New Delhi: Hours after the 16th Lok Sabha held its last meeting, Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, N Chandrababu Naidu, Farooq Abdullah and Arvind Kejriwal, met at Pawar's home in Delhi and announced a ‘pre-poll anti-BJP national alliance" even though their strategy will be to strike maximum state-wise alliances. The move, expected to be backed by DMK, RJD and many more regional parties, is strategically aimed at making them a formal pre-poll block so that their combined strength will have to be considered by the President for government-making exercise in the event of a hung verdict.

After the meeting, the leaders said Gandhi has been authorised to work out a common minimum programme. They also stated their resolve to coordinate joint actions and anti-BJP mobilisation. However, the leaders clarified that no decision has been taken on forming alliances in New Delhi or West Bengal, where Congress and AAP and TMC and Congres have divergent views.

At a joint press conference, Gandhi said: “We will work together towards defeating the Modi government and BJP.”


Mamata Banerjee said: "we will have a pre-poll alliance so that there is no problem after the polls".

Sharad Pawar said all these parties are now together and another Opposition meeting will be held on February 26.

These opposition parties move could also now force Left to extend support to them at national despite CPM's turf-war with Congress in Kerala and TMC in Bengal.

These leaders reiterated their resolve for coordinated work towards achieving the larger Opposition unity.

The leaders, sources said, may also organise maximum possible joint public meetings on common issues against the agenda of the Modi government and ‘RSS-BJP ideology’.