The Opposition parties are still undecided on whether to put up a joint candidate for the Presidential polls with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asking the Modi government to take an initiative for a consensus on the issue.
Mamata discussed the Presidential elections during her 45-minute meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi here on Tuesday and said she would come again for consultations on the issue. “There is still time and we will meet again. But the government should also take the initiative for a consensus candidate,” she told reporters after meeting Sonia.
Her call for a consensus came a day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a proponent of opposition unity, put forth President Pranab Mukherjee’s name for the second term as a consensus candidate. The electoral college tilted in favour of the Modi government after the recent round of Assembly elections with the NDA just 17,500 votes short of a simple majority.
The YSR Congress and TRS have also announced their support to the BJP. “There are so many political equations. We will talk together, we will discuss together. We will prefer a consensus candidate who will work for the country and will be a better candidate for the country,” Mamata said.
Published 16 May 2017, 20:28 IST