K. Chandrashekar Rao Chief Minister of Telangana and Mamata Banerjee Chief Minister of West Bengal after the meeting jointly press conferences at the state Secretariat office Nabanna ,Howrah District on December 24,2018 in West Bengal,India. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao met Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee this evening to take forward their discussion on the formation of a non-Congress, non-BJP Federal Front.Telangana Chief Minister came to Kolkata. KCR, as Mr Rao is known among his supporters, came to Kolkata this morning after meeting Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.The Trinamool Congress of Ms Banerjee, who, sources say, is interested in forming a pan-India alliance of regional parties to have more leverage in bargaining with the Congress. "Mamata Banerjee is a seven-time MP, two-term Chief Minister, three-time cabinet minister. With 40 years of accomplishments, courage, all this is but natural... Everyone wants to listen to her, share their thoughts with her," said senior Trinamool lawmaker Derek O'Brien. "Looking at 2019, don't be surprised," he added. Ms Banerjee -- a vocal supporter of a larger role for regional parties on the national stage - has been one of the earliest proponents of a combined opposition front to take on the BJP in next year's national elections. Since last year, she has met a string of opposition leaders including Sharad Pawar, Arvind Kejriwal and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. On Friday, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah met her in Kolkata. In August, Ms Banerjee had met a number of opposition leaders during a visit to Delhi. (Photo by Debajyoti Chakraborty/NurPhoto)

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Photo Details

Photo ID	#3588246
Date Taken	30 December 2018
Location	N/A
Photographer	Debajyoti Chakraborty/NurPhoto
Category	N/A
Copyright	© 2026 NurPhoto - Debajyoti Chakraborty/NurPhoto

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