Mamata Banerjee To Visit Delhi

CM Mamata will attend meeting of NITI Aayog

New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during her Delhi visit on Thursday evening. She will stay in the national capital for the next four days.

Though Ms. Banerjee's visit is linked to a meeting of the government's think tank NITI Aayog on Sunday, she would be in Delhi during the vice-presidential election scheduled on Saturday.

Her party, Trinamool Congress, abstained from voting in the vice-presidential election, for which the BJP has fielded Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as the National Democratic Alliance candidate. The opposition's joint candidate is Margaret Alva.

Ms. Banerjee's party leaders say the opposition parties did not consult them before deciding on Ms. Alva.

Mr. Dhankhar's elevation as Vice President will move him out of Bengal to Delhi, and for Ms. Banerjee, that is a huge win.

The CM and Mr. Dhankhar have clashed relentlessly over the past three years, with Ms. Banerjee accusing the Governor of hounding her at the instance of the BJP at the centre.

Despite this, Mr. Dhankhar is believed to have sought Ms. Banerjee's support. The two met in Darjeeling last month and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, known as the BJP's north-east strategist, was also present.

Ms. Banerjee has said most Trinamool MPs were against backing the opposition vice presidential candidate.

Ms. Banerjee had earlier skipped meetings of the NITI Aayog, with claims that the central body has done nothing beneficial for states so far.

The Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee is also likely to meet with her party MPs and visit the central hall of parliament, where it will be keenly watched whether she makes any attempt to repair bridges with other opposition parties.