Prez poll: Sonia takes lead to find Opp. candidate
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has taken a lead getting the opposition to field a common candidate for the coming presidential polls.
She has also assured all opposition parties that her party would actively participate in mass agitations and protests to counter the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah juggernaut. This, said sources, would contribute to the much-needed “alternative narrative”, which needs to be built to oppose the BJP.
She met JD(U) chief and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader D. Raja and most recently, JD(U) Rajya Sabha member Sharad Yadav on Tuesday night. She also met Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday evening. “Though talks with the Congress president focused on the need to field a common opposition presidential candidate, she also said there was a need to come together on mass movements,” Mr Raja said.
A senior JD-U leader said Ms Gandhi said the Congress was ready to take the lead in any such agitation. The last time all opposition parties came together was after demonetisation.
The Congress with TMC, SP, BSP, Left and NCP had held three marches to the Rashtrapati Bhawan.