Presidential election: Opposition leaders adopt resolution to field a common candidate

New Delhi, June 16: The joint opposition meeting called by Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to deliberate on a consensus presidential candidate ahead of the next month’s polls was held in Delhi on Wednesday.

 

 

At least 17 opposition parties attended the meeting which was held at the Constitution Club in the national capital. Leaders of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, NCP, DMK, RJD, Shiv Sena, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML), National Conference, PDP, JD(S), RSP, IUML, RLD, JMM and the Left parties attended the meeting, while the AAP, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Odisha's ruling BJD skipped it.

 

Mamata Banerjee, the convener of the meeting, said, "Several parties were here today. We've decided we will choose only one consensus candidate. Everybody will give this candidate our support. We will consult with others. This is a good beginning. We sat together after several months, and we will do it again."

 

NCP chief Sharad Pawar refused Mamata Banerjee's offer to be the opposition's presidential candidate. "In today's Opposition meeting, all parties proposed the name of Sharad Pawar for Presidential poll, but he said he cannot take this up now due to his health. All parties requested him to reconsider his decision," said Binoy Viswam of CPI.

 

 

 

In a tweet, Sharad Pawar said, "I sincerely appreciate the leaders of opposition parties for suggesting my name as a candidate for the election of the President of India, at the meeting held in Delhi. However I like to state that I have humbly declined the proposal of my candidature."

 

The next Opposition meeting on presidential polls is likely to be convened on June 20-21 in Mumbai by Sharad Pawar.

 

The election for the country's highest constitutional post will be held on July 18 and the counting for it will take place on July 21. The nomination process began with the issuance of the notification on Wednesday calling electors to fill up the vacancy at the country's highest constitutional post. As per the source, eleven candidates filed their nominations on the first day of the upcoming presidential polls.

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