NEW DELHI: The opposition parties will bond together to put up a joint candidate for presidential election during the 94th birthday of DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi on June 3. His daughter and Member of Parliament Kanimozhi is personally reaching out to the political parties and met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday in Patna.
The birthday of the senior-most leader of the recent times – Karunanidhi – is likely to see full attendance from the opposition parties by providing an “informal” set up to discuss the how to project a joint front during the President election due in July.
Kanimozhi has gone to Patna on Friday, where she met Janta Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi to hand over the invite for the birthday bash.
“Old friend & social justice companion DMK chief Karunanidhi Ji's daughter Kanimozhi came to invite for Karunanidhi's 94th B'day celebrations,” a beaming Lalu Prasad Yadav tweeted a photo.
“I have been personally invited. Kanimozhi is personally inviting political party leaders,” sources told the Express. Tamil Nadu is amongst the biggest states that will impact the outcome of the presidential poll. “Tamil Nadu is important with the two factions of AIADMK at war with each other and the BJP trying hard to woo them to vote in its favour,” sources added.
Besides this Frantic meetings cutting across political lines have taken place to gauge waters as the possibility of the first RSS-backed person to become President of India looms large.
“The main glue for all the parties is to contain the communal forces in the country and there is a consensus to project a joint candidate,” said a non-Congress leader, who has recently met Congress President Sonia Gandhi to discuss the modalities.
The understanding is to bring about a “mass movement” to counter the increasing popularity of the BJP. However, the leader was unable to provide on how the opposition parties strive to achieve this.
The President of India is elected by an Electoral College comprising of 776 parliamentarians and 4,120 legislators.
The total strength of the Electoral College is 10,98,882 votes and the halfway mark is 5,49,442 votes.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is now short of only about 25,000 votes and votes from the Biju Janata Dal and AIADMK can easily swung the poll in their favour.