Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during a press conference at National Media Center, in New Delhi, Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (PTI Photo/Manvender Vashist)
New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday began the consultation exercise on evolving a consensus name for the presidential election with senior party leader Rajnath Singh speaking to a number of key opposition leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav, sources said on Wednesday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has authorised Singh and the party’s chief J P Nadda to consult with other parties for building consensus on a presidential candidate.
Singh made the calls to Kharge, Banerjee and Yadav besides some other leaders on a day when leaders of 17 opposition parties met here to build a consensus on a joint opposition candidate.
Singh has also called Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to deliberate upon the presidential polls, the sources said.
The opposition leaders asked Singh about the BJP-led NDA’s nominee for the presidential election, and they said.
During the meeting convened by Banerjee, at least two more names emerged — National Conference (NC) supremo Farooq Abdullah and former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi — after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar declined to be a candidate for the post of President.
The election for the President will be held on July 18, while the nomination process began on Wednesday. Incumbent Ram Nath Kovind’s term ends on July 24.
This post was last modified on June 15, 2022 7:41 pm