Host of oppn leaders to take part in Mamata Banerjee's Kolkata rally

A host of opposition leaders will participate in West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's mega opposition rally in Kolkata on January 19, which will not be attended by the Left parties.

According to sources, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is yet to decide on whether its chief Mayawati will attend the Trinamool Congress (TMC) rally that will also be attended by former JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav.

The Congress will be represented by its leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who has been deputed by the party leadership at the joint opposition rally, as neither its chief Rahul Gandhi or UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will be in attendance.

Kharge will be headed to Kolkata from Mumbai, where he has some meetings with Congress leaders on the same day.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav is likely to reach Kolkata a day earlier on January 18. He will be present at the opposition rally, which is expected to be a show of opposition unity ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

The Left parties, which