Himanta Biswa Sarma, Mamata Banerjee and Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar in a huddle, ahead of presidential polls

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar at the Raj Bhawan (Governor's residence) in Darjeeling.

Although the West Bengal Chief Minister termed the visit “unofficial”, political pundits believe that the trio’s meet against the backdrop of the upcoming presidential polls on July 18 could have significant implications.

The NDA government has put up tribal leader Droupadi Murmu as their presidential candidate, while the opposition has fielded Yashwant Sinha for the upcoming polls. Current President Ram Nath Kovind’s term is set to end on July 25, and the new president will be announced before then.

A source close to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma informed India Today NE that Sarma had an urgent personal engagement with the West Bengal Governor. 

“That's why he went to meet the Governor at his Darjeeling retreat. He had not even informed the West Bengal government about his sudden trip to the state. When West Bengal CM Banerjee learnt about Sarma's presence in the Governor's house, she requested Dhankhar if she could come to see him and the Assam CM for a courtesy visit”, said the source close to the Assam CM.

After the meeting, West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee told scribes that she visited the Governor as she had been invited for tea and that no political discussions had taken place.

She further stated that no discussions had been held about the upcoming presidential polls.

“They (Assam and West Bengal) are two different states and should stay connected,” Mamata has been quoted as saying by local media.

Notably, both the Governor and CM Banerjee have reached Darjeeling to attend the oath-taking function of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) on Tuesday.

Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) president Anit Thapa will be sworn in as the GTA chief executive.

A short clip of the meet was uploaded on Dhankhar’s official Twitter handle with the caption: “West Bengal Governor Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar with Hon’ble Chief Minister Smt. Mamata Banerjee and Hon’ble Chief Minister Assam Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma @himantabiswa at Raj Bhawan, Darjeeling.”

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