Mamata Banerjee to visit Delhi on Mon for meeting on simultaneous polls

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will visit New Delhi on Monday after attending the inaugural day of the state budget session to attend the meeting of the 'one nation one election' committee slated for February 6.

Expressing her disagreement with the concept of simultaneous polls, Banerjee had last month written to the high-level committee that it would be against the basic structure of India's constitutional arrangements.

However, during the dharna she held demanding release of central funds due to the state, Banerjee said that she will be visiting Delhi on February 5 regarding the meeting on 'one nation one election'.

"They have formed an expert committee and sought my opinion on the same," she had told the gathering. Banerjee's visit to Delhi takes place amid visible strains in her party's ties with opposition bloc INDIA partner Congress as manifested in her recent utterances that TMC will go alone in the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal.

She also doubted the grand old party's ability to secure even 40 seats across the country in the general elections.

"I will go to Delhi for a day, but not for politics. On February 5 evening, I will go to Delhi and will return on February 6 after the committee meeting that afternoon. The state budget will be presented in the assembly on February 8," the chief minister said.

The committee, led by former President Ram Nath Kovind, is mandated to examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, municipalities and panchayats keeping in view the existing constitutional framework.