Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, May 21: TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu arrived here late on Tuesday May 21 night to meet JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda to discuss the post-poll scenario in case the Lok Sabha results on May 23 spring up a hung parliament despite exit polls giving the NDA a clear majority.

According to sources, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister will also meet Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, to discuss options in case of a hung verdict.

While majority of exit polls predict Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s return to power, Naidu is leaving no stone unturned in uniting opposition parties against the BJP.

File Photo

Naidu's visit to Bengaluru comes on a day that saw the JD(S) and Congress alliance in the state further weakening with Congress MLA Roshan Baig asking Muslims to support BJP in case the exit polls come true, and even alleging that Congress state in-charge K C Venugopal was not allowing chief minister Kumaraswamy to function properly. He was later sent a show-cause notice by the Congress.

Earlier in the day, Naidu was part of the delegation of opposition party leaders that met the Election Commission to urge increased tallying of VVPAT slips with EVMs amid allegations of EVM 'tampering'. The opposition leaders also held a meeting to discuss the post-poll scenario. Interestingly, Kumaraswamy too was scheduled to leave for Delhi to take part in the meeting and be part of the delegation, but cancelled his plans at the last minute.

Naidu held a meeting with his West Bengal counterpart, Mamata Banerjee, at her Kolkata residence on Monday May 20.

Naidu has already held meetings with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar and Sitaram Yechury, and has also met Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav in New Delhi, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati in Lucknow.

Since the time he pulled out of the BJP-led NDA last year over the issue of special category status to Andhra Pradesh, Naidu has held talks with various non-BJP parties in order to bring them together in an coalition headed by the Congress.