Amid unfavourable exit polls, Chandrababu Naidu to request Mamata Banerjee to come to Delhi to meet EC; will suggest new method for 'transparency in the election process'

As the nation now awaits the results of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on May 23, and the opposition leaders are on a spree to stitch their grand alliance. With Chandrababu Naidu meeting Congress president Rahul Gandhi at his New Delhi residence, Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati in Lucknow,  NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, Loktantrik Janata Dal Chief Sharad Yadav, and AAP Chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and UPA chairperson and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi writing to a number of parties - both UPA allies and other non-NDA parties - including the BJD, YSRCP, TDP and TRS inviting them for a meeting on result day, as per sources, in order for a message to be sent that they are all rallying together on the verdict, the opposition's desperation is evident.

A day after meeting the leaders in Lucknow and the national capital of Delhi, Naidu rushed to Kolkata on Monday, May 20 to meet Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee. Before leaving for Kolkata, Naidu spoke to media and suggested a new way of 'ensuring that the election counting is fair.'

When asked what's the plan behind meeting Mamata Banerjee, Naidu said: "We will discuss politics, I will also request her to come to Delhi to meet EC. We are meeting the Election Commission again tomorrow."

On exit polls, he said that it has never been real.

"Exit polls never tally. It is a reality. All the exit polls during Andhra assembly elections last time had given all to YSR Congress party, it was incorrect. We got nearly 17 seats
So my fight is clear, Bring transparency in the election process, I am fighting it for 10 years. I want to complete the process. Even yesterday Quereshi updated that because of me they were able to bring VVPAT, now my idea is the same existing machinery just a slight change."

Suggesting his idea of 'transparency', he said:

"There is a possibility to EVM malfunction. Therefore what we are saying is there is an EVM, there is VVPAT. A voter press EVM, the printer will print it ballot indicating the name and also the choice of the candidate, the voter will take that, he will be satisfied that he voted for his choice of candidate, a particular party. We are saying that put that printed paper in the ballot box, its very simple, we are not asking anything else. It is the same EVM, the same EVM, the voter can verify and put in the ballot box, whenever there is a doubt we can count totally also."

He then added that transparency and credibility are important. Naidu had held two rounds of talks with Congress president Rahul Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar. While Mayawati cancelled her meet with Sonia on Sunday, it is to see within upcoming days how the Opposition last race for unity before May 23 shapes.