1-on-1 formula: What Mamata Banerjee pitched to Sonia Gandhi to defeat Narendra Modi

New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday met Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. 

"Whenever I come here I meet her, we share a good relation. I enquired about her health, also had a political discussion, I said that the country wants it to be one-is-to-one in 2019, parties should fight from where they are strong," she said after the meet.

Mamata added, "We want Congress to help the regional parties' front that is being talked about, so as to facilitate a one-is-to-one fight. This one-is-to-one fight will eliminate BJP politically," as per ANI.

Earlier on Wednesday, she met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for about half-an-hour. She also met disgruntled BJP leaders Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha. Mamata also held discussions with Arun Shourie, a former Union minister in the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Mamata Banerjee met Arun Shourie, Shatrughan Sinha and Yashwant Sinha in #Delhi; TMC MP Derek O'Brien also present. pic.twitter.com/4bo1L1Qys1 — ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2018

After the meeting, Shourie, who has been critical of the Modi government, said the TMC chief's theory of putting up a one-on-one fight against the BJP in every state was the right path to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "If the one-on-one formula is implemented, the Opposition will be able to corner 69 percent of votes," Shourie said, PTI reported.

Though Yashwant Sinha did not clarify on whether he or Shatrughan Sinha would join a united force against the BJP, he said, "Mamata is our old Cabinet colleague. Her personality is known to everyone. The role she has taken to save the country is appreciable. In future also, we will support her."

Mamata was part of the Vajpayee government. 

The West Bengal CM, who arrived in the national capital on Monday, had met NCP chief Sharad Pawar and MPs of BJP`s ally Shiv Sena on Tuesday. She had also met Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao`s daughter K Kavitha and Lalu Prasad`s daughter Misa Bharti besides MPs from Biju Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and DMK.

(With Agency inputs)