Naidu meets Rahul, Pawar; to meet Mayawati, Akhilesh (2nd Lead)

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday continued his outreach to the Opposition parties in order to firm up a non-BJP front ahead of the announcement of Lok Sabha poll results on May 23.

He met Congress President Rahul Gandhi at the latter's residence here in the morning, and then visited Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav to discuss possible alliances in the post-election scenario.

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister is expected to meet Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati in Lucknow on Saturday evening.

Holding talks with Opposition leaders, who are not comfortable with each other, Naidu has apparently turned into an interlocutor.

He had on Friday said that all parties, including rival K. Chandrashekhar Rao-led Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), were welcome to join the non-BJP Mahagathbandhan (grand-alliance).

The TDP chief also met the Election Commission on Friday and accused it of being biased and pro-government.

--IANS

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