Do Panchayat polls worry Mamata? TMC chief postpones meeting with DMK

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has postponed her meeting for ‘Third Front’ with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M Karunanidhi and his son DMK working president M K Stalin in Chennai on April 10 in wake of the volatile situation across the state ahead of the crucial Panchayat Elections.

She was scheduled to fly to Chennai to meet them in her desperate attempt to build 'Third Front' to counter the BJP at the national level, according to sources adding that her visit was scheduled for two days there.

But the violence during candidates' filing nominations in the districts, since the rural polls have been announced in the state, and also poll preparations have prompted Banerjee to decide to not leave the state now and postpone the meeting with the DMK leadership, sources indicated on Wednesday adding that the development has been conveyed to DMK by the Trinamool already.

Banerjee would however meet Karunanidhi and Stalin after the Panchayat elections, sources claimed. On March 4 she had reached out to DMK working president MK Stalin for co-ordination inside and outside the Parliament.

The Trinamool supremo had called him up and they had a discussion on 'Third Front' following which the date for the meeting was fixed.

Banerjee also met DMK MP Kanimozhi in New Delhi recently during her last visit there to hold discussions with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and NCP leader Sharad Pawar for building the anti-BJP platform.