Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has said Opposition parties should unitedly fight BJP in next year’s Lok Sabha polls by fielding common candidates in each of the 543 constituencies. Banerjee said each party should fight in their respective strongholds, supported by other Opposition parties.

The All India Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party had, incidentally, fielded candidates in Goa, Gujarat, Himachal and some other states where Congress was engaged in a one-on-one fight with BJP during assembly polls.

“I would urge all Opposition parties to unite against BJP, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. We need to fight BJP one on one to defeat it. Fight from areas where you have a strong base,” Banerjee said in Shamsherganj on Friday, adding she was open to Opposition fighting polls together.

Banerjee had discussed the issue during her recent meeting with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar who met her in Kolkata. She had proposed a meeting of Opposition parties to discuss the issue. She also held meetings with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Kolkata and met Odisha chief minister Naveen Patanaik in Bhubaneswar with the same agenda.

“BJP sends central agencies like ED and CBI and its leaders ask officials to create fake cases and malign them. BJP should not defame the country like this.”