Mamata Banerjee's Wednesday meet aimed at 'uniting opposition leaders'

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will reach New Delhi on June 14 and meet opposition leaders on June 15 in a bid to unite the opposition parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and prepare a joint strategy for the presidential polls. She had written a letter to 22 opposition leaders, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackarey, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah among others, urging them to attend the June 15 meeting in New Delhi.

A day after Banerjee wrote to the opposition CMs, it is learnt that the Congress president has designated Mallikarjun Kharge to coordinate with the opposition leaders. Banerjee has wished Sonia Gandhi good health after she was admitted to hospital as she had tested positive with Covid-19 a few days back.

"Just learnt that senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has been hospitalised due to Covid. All of us pray for her early recovery and return to public life soon. May God bless you, Soniaji. Regards," Banerjee tweeted.


During the Goa assembly polls early this year, the Trinamool and Congress developed cold shoulders after the Congress did not show any initiative to fight together. "Uniting the opposition is a process and not a one-time job. Mamata Banerjee has already started the process," said Trinamool state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.