Leaders of several opposition parties including TMC, SP, AAP, RLD and the Left assembled at NCP chief Sharad Pawar's residence here on Tuesday and discussed various issues facing the country, amid heightened speculation about the possibility of a third front against the ruling BJP.

Leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Nilotpal Basu, who attended the meeting, said it was not a political meeting but an interaction among like-minded people.

"Issues like COVID management, ''attack'' on institutions and unemployment were discussed at the meeting," he said.

Former finance minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Yashwant Sinha, Samajwadi Party''s (SP) Ghanshyam  Tiwari, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Chaudhary, Sushil Gupta from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Binoy Viswam from the Communist Party of India (CPI) were among those present at the meeting.

National Conference (NC) leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, former Congress leader Sanjay Jha and former Janata Dal (United) leader Pavan Verma also participated.

Other prominent personalities who arrived at Pawar's residence to attend the meeting were Javed Akhtar and KC Singh.

NCP leader Majid Menon said it was not a meeting for forming an anti-BJP front or a non-Congress front.