Anti-BJP front: Guj leader Vaghela meets Sharad Pawar

Former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela recently met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar as part of efforts to forge an anti-BJP grand alliance ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabh polls.

"Met NCP President Sharad Pawarji and Praful Patelji before few days and shared my support towards Uniting and Strengthening Mahagathbandhan for upcoming National Loksabha Elections," Vaghela tweeted.

His aide said Vaghela met Pawar and Patel in Delhi before Diwali.

Vaghela had earlier declared that he will act as coordinator between regional parties to forge such a front.

As part of the effort, Vaghela has also met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, West Bengal CHief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav, his aide Partesh Patel said.

Vaghela had told the media that he will meet leaders from different political parties who are opposed to the BJP and work to form a front that can fight against the BJP and its allies unitedly.

He had earlier ruled out any plan to join Pawar's NCP or any other political party.

"I firmly believe anti-BJP votes must never get divided. Thus, my intention is to unite regional parties such as the TRS, the TDP, the CPI(M) and the NCP, and clear their differences in order to give a united fight to the BJP," Vaghela had then said.

Vaghela, a former Union minister, was with the BJP till 1998.

He quit the Congress after the Rajya Sabha polls last year and floated 'Jan Vikalp', a third front, ahead of the 2017 Gujarat Assembly polls.

However, all the 100-odd candidates of his Jan Vikalp lost the polls held in December.