Bhubaneswar: Amid talks on the formation of a political front ahead of the 2019 general elections, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will meet his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik here in the first week of May, informed sources said.
Rao, who heads the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, will meet Patnaik, the Biju Janata Dal President, in Bhubaneswar, they added.
Rao will first visit the world famous Jagannath temple in Puri and then call on the Odisha Chief Minister, the sources said.
Though there is no formal political agenda, both leaders are likely to discuss the current political situation and formation of an alternative front as both the parties are maintaining equi-distance from the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as the Congress.
However, Patnaik said they would not discuss the possibility of a third front.
“The Telangana Chief Minister is visiting Puri on a pilgrimage. On the way, he will pay a courtesy call (on me). There will be no discussion on the federal front or anything that has to do with politics,” Patnaik told reporters here.
Even though Patnaik has so far not revealed his plans vis-a-vis national politics, the proposed meeting is expected to throw light on the BJD’s future course of action with regard to the federal front.
Rao met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata last month and Janata Dal-Secular chief and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda last week.
(IANS)
