Sonia to host top opposition leaders for joint Prez nominee talks
May 24, 2017  22:22
image
Top leaders of several opposition parties will go into a huddle on Friday at a luncheon hosted by Congress president Sonia Gandhi where they would explore the possibility of fielding a joint candidate for the presidential election.

Sources in these parties said the meeting is likely to be held in Parliament House complex and would be attended by leaders like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar, Communist Party of India-Marxist's Sitaram Yechury, Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad and Janata Dal-United veteran Sharad Yadav, who is himself a possible contender for the top constitutional post.

Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress chief, is already in the national capital, and is likely to meet Sonia Gandhi separately on Thursday.

Sources said invitations have been sent to the JD-U, the CPI, the CPI-M, the Samajwadi Party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Nationalist Congress Party, the RJD, the TMC, besides some other big and small regional parties.

The main opposition Congress is seeking a larger unity among non-National Democratic Alliance parties ahead of the presidential election which could be taken forward to the upcoming assembly polls instates like Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, besides the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. -- PTI
« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES