MUMBAI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi wants to propose NCP chief Sharad Pawar's name as the united Opposition candidate in the upcoming Presidential Elections. However, Pawar has not taken any call over the matter.
The Presidential polls is scheduled for July 18 while counting will take place on July 21.
According to the highly placed sources, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge recently met the NCP chief at Silver Oak in Mumbai.
“In this meeting, Kharge conveyed Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s message that NCP chief Sharad Pawar should contest the presidential elections as a united candidate of Opposition against the BJP candidate. In presidential elections, smaller and regional parties, votes are crucial and play a major role. NCP chief has relations across the party and he can easily shore up the required numbers in this election. However, Pawar has not said yes or no to Congress. Once he made up his mind, then this decision will be against discussed party and opposition forum to take the final call and make an announcement,” said a senior Congress leader who was privy to development.
He further added that Kharge also met Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and discussed Pawar's name as a president candidate.
“Uddhav Thackeray is also positive to see Sharad Pawar as the president of India. He said that Pawar has 50 years of electoral politics experience. He was chief minister of Maharashtra for four times and defence minister and agriculture minister. He played a major role in the development of Maharashtra and India and he deserves such a coveted post at the fag end of his career. Thackeray will also dial up other parties to garner the support for Pawar in presidential elections,” said the source requested anonymity.
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Sunday said that they will like to support NCP chief as the Presidential candidate. Patole said Congress is ready to support the NCP chief.
“It will be an honour if Marathi manoos is president of India. We have decided to support NCP chief Sharad Pawar as the presidential candidate,” Patole said.
Sources said that Aam Aadmi Party leaders also met with Pawar and they were also ready to support the latter as a Presidential Election candidate.
“After Sonia Gandhi’s proposal to Pawar as a candidate for the Presidential polls, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had also called Mr Pawar and extended her support. She has also promised to rally other regional parties behind NCP chief,” said the source requested anonymity.
Pawar has not issued any statement about this development.
However, his party leaders said that they would be happy if the NCP becomes the President of India.
Senior NCP chief Chagan Bhujbal said that he will be more than happy to see his party supremo in that coveted post.
He also added that there was a positive discussion going on in the Opposition front to field the NCP chief.
“If it happens and Pawar saheb gets elected, then he will be the happiest person. I will celebrate this moment,” Bhujbal said.
Interestingly, BJP has not opened its cards yet. Notably, Pawar shares a good relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.