Sonia to meet key leaders on Prez poll

Congress president to hold talks with Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh, MK Stalin and Lalu Prasad Yadav to discuss possibility of fielding a common candidate

NEW DELHI: The Opposition campaign for presidential elections gained traction on Wednesday, with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi discussing the possibilities of a common candidate of the nonNDA parties at a meeting with National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah.

Sonia will meet Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati and DMK leader MK Stalin over the next 10 days, sources said, adding that she also held a telephonic discussions with Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad.

For his part, Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi is said to have established contact with Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Following the first round of one-to-one meetings, the Congress chief will chair a conclave of leaders of non-NDA parties towards the second half of May.

Although the ruling NDA controls 48.3% votes in the Electoral College that will elect the new President, the ruling combine remains short of an estimated 21,000 votes and will need the support of smaller parties such as the AIADMK or the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to ensure the victory of its nominee.

Sensing prospects of putting up a formidable challenge to the NDA in the presidential polls, opposition leaders over the past weeks have been working at putting up a common candidate.

As first reported by Hindustan Times, senior leaders of different parties will be reaching out to other non-NDA partners. While Sonia will speak with Banerjee and Mayawati, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad have been tasked to mobilise support with the Shiv Sena and the AIADMK. Efforts will also be made to reach out to Odisha chief minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik.

A clutch of opposition leaders such as Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, CP(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav, CPI’s D Raja besides the NCP chief have discussed the issue at separate meetings with Sonia.

Meanwhile, Raja told reporters in Hyderabad that the opposition parties were close to reaching a consensus on a common candidate for the presidential elections.

JD(U) MP Ali Anwar Ansari spoke in a similar vein, saying the opposition parties would adopt a “wait and watch” strategy for the moment and would wait for the ruling NDA to open its cards first in respect of its presidential nominee.

FOR HIS PART, CONG VP RAHUL GANDHI IS SAID TO HAVE ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH FORMER UP CHIEF MINISTER AKHILESH YADAV