TRS to skip opposition meeting called by Mamata Banerjee for presidential polls

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) will be skipping the opposition meeting called by West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday, June 15, for discussions to come out with a consensus opposition candidate for the presidential poll. Sources have told TNM that the TRS is not willing to share a dais with the Congress, which is the main opposition party in Telangana. 

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Jairam Ramesh and Randeep Surjewala may attend the meeting on behalf of the party.  Banerjee has convened the meeting on June 15 at the Constitution Club in the national capital for discussions to come out with a consensus Opposition candidate. Several opposition parties are likely to attend the meeting and take forward the discussion on the joint candidate. The DMK will be sending its representative TR Baalu to the meeting. 

In addition to the TRS, the AAP is also likely to skip the meeting. The Akali Dal is also reportedly skipping the meeting, as they are not very happy with Congress's presence at the meeting. Earlier some parties had expressed their displeasure with the manner in which the meeting was called by Mamata Banerjee. The Left parties, will be sending their representatives to the meeting. Sources said that similar letters would be sent to Banerjee by several opposition leaders to register their strong reservation over the way this meeting has been convened. 

The election to elect a successor to incumbent Ram Nath Kovind would be held on July 18. With numbers on its side, the ruling NDA has half the votes of the electorate and its candidate can make it through easily with the support of some independent parties like the BJD, AIADMK and YSRCP. Ram Nath Kovind had defeated joint opposition nominee Meira Kumar in the last presidential poll.