New Delhi: Opposition parties, after holding discussions in the past few days, appear to have considered a few names, including former Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, former Speaker Meira Kumar, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar and JD-U leader Sharad Yadav, to pick a common candidate for the upcoming Presidential election.
Though a decision on the candidate will take some time, the process of evolving a consensus is gaining momentum.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi has initiated the process of bringing opposition parties together for the election slated in July in a bid to evolve a consensus on a candidate.
This also being seen as a precursor to the possibility of opposition parties coming together to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Gopalkrishna Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who was Secretary to the President when R. Venkataraman held the post, is also said to have a good equation with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, when he was Governor there. He himself has acknowledged that he has been approached.
Sonia Gandhi has over the past few days met Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar, National Conference’s Working President Omar Abdullah, Janata Dal-United leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Communist Party of India-Marxist chief Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader D. Raja, and spoken to Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad.
Gandhi, who was admitted to the hospital due to food poisoning on May 9, is believed to have spoken to TMC chief Mamata Banerjee from the hospital. The two are likely to meet on May 16. She will also meet DMK leader M.K. Stalin and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati in the coming days. Asked if consensus has been arrived at on any candidate, JD-U leader K.C. Tyagi said: “A consensus has not been yet reached on any of the names. Let the notification be issued. But we have done our homework already. We will all contest the elections together.”
A senior Left leader said the united opposition will wait for the BJP to announce their candidate. He also said that they will announce the name in the end. (IANS)
