<div align="justify">A three-member BJP panel set up to consult political parties on selecting a consensus candidate for the upcoming presidential poll will meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday.<br /><br />After meeting Gandhi, the panel of three ministers will also meet CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury, sources close to Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said here.<br /><br />Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Naidu were appointed by BJP president Amit Shah on June 12 to hold talks with opposition parties and allies in a bid to select a consensus candidate for the poll.<br /><br />The sources said Naidu had already spoken with Praful Patel (NCP) and Satish Chandra Misra (BSP) on this issue.<br /><br />Patel and Misra, who are expected to meet the panel shortly, are said to have assured Naidu their parties would take a call on a candidate after talks with the BJP panel.<br /><br />The notification for the July 17 polls was issued today, beginning the nomination process for the election. The last date for filing papers is June 28.<br /><br />After prolonged silence on the issue, Shah constituted the three-member committee for consultations with the NDA allies and the opposition on the issue.<br /><br />Leaders of opposition parties are meeting this afternoon to chalk out a joint strategy for the presidential poll.<br /><br />The opposition's 10-member sub-group is meeting for the first time after it was set up recently.<br />Sources said the opposition leaders will discuss possible names for the post of the President, but will await the government's initiative on this matter before taking a final decision. <br /></div>
<div align="justify">A three-member BJP panel set up to consult political parties on selecting a consensus candidate for the upcoming presidential poll will meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday.<br /><br />After meeting Gandhi, the panel of three ministers will also meet CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury, sources close to Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said here.<br /><br />Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Naidu were appointed by BJP president Amit Shah on June 12 to hold talks with opposition parties and allies in a bid to select a consensus candidate for the poll.<br /><br />The sources said Naidu had already spoken with Praful Patel (NCP) and Satish Chandra Misra (BSP) on this issue.<br /><br />Patel and Misra, who are expected to meet the panel shortly, are said to have assured Naidu their parties would take a call on a candidate after talks with the BJP panel.<br /><br />The notification for the July 17 polls was issued today, beginning the nomination process for the election. The last date for filing papers is June 28.<br /><br />After prolonged silence on the issue, Shah constituted the three-member committee for consultations with the NDA allies and the opposition on the issue.<br /><br />Leaders of opposition parties are meeting this afternoon to chalk out a joint strategy for the presidential poll.<br /><br />The opposition's 10-member sub-group is meeting for the first time after it was set up recently.<br />Sources said the opposition leaders will discuss possible names for the post of the President, but will await the government's initiative on this matter before taking a final decision. <br /></div>