'Democratic compulsion to unite', says Chandrababu Naidu after meeting Rahul Gandhi

Mumbai: In a bid to build an alliance of opposition parties to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, TDP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu met Congress chief Rahul Gandhi today.

Naidu met Gandhi at his residence around 3:30 pm. The two leaders discussed forming an alliance for the December 7 Assembly elections in Telangana.

Rahul and Gandhi also discussed the grand alliance for Lok Sabha polls next year.

Earlier today, Naidu also met NCP chief Sharad Pawar and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah in the national capital.

He also "coincidentally" met senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and briefly discussed about the need to bring all non-BJP political parties together, TDP sources said.

Here are LIVE updates of Chandrababu Naidu’s meeting with Opposition leaders:

04:50 pm: “We are coming together to save the nation. We have to forget the past, now it is a democratic compulsion to unite. All opposition needs to be one,” N Chandrababu Naidu said after meeting Rahul Gandhi.

03:59 pm: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, TDP MPs Jayadev Galla, CM Ramesh and others meet Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

03:52 pm: Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu arrives at Congress President Rahul Gandhi's residence.

02:31 pm: "We decided to meet in Delhi to chalk out a plan to protect the future of the nation," Chandrababu Naidu after meeting Sharad Pawar and Farooq Abdullah

02:20 pm: Sharad Pawar, Chandrababu Naidu and Farooq Abdullah are holding a press conference.

01:34 pm: Chandrababu Naidu also met Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in Delhi.

 

(Photo: Twitter | @ncbn)

 

01:23 pm: Chandrababu Naidu meets National Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar and National Conference (NC) Chief Farooq Abdullah in Delhi.

 

(Photo: Twitter | @ncbn)

 

01:21 pm: According to PTI, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav spoke to Chandrababu Naidu over the phone on Wednesday and the latter will visit Delhi every week to speed up the process of uniting opposition parties. 

01:20 pm: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo Chandrababu Naidu is expected to meet Congress chief Rahul Gandhi today. Sources said the two sides will take forward the talks of an alliance with TDP for the upcoming assembly elections in Telangana, which will be held in December.