NEW DELHI: If all goes well, the opposition will try to build a consensus on Wednesday after Mamata Banerjee-called meeting for putting up the opposition candidate against the ruling BJP-led NDA candidate in the upcoming presidential election.
The presidential election is scheduled on July 18 for picking up the successor of Ram Nath Kovind, whose term will end on July 24. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday to host the meeting she had called to unite 22 opposition parties.
Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress supremo, met NCP chief Sharad Pawar at his residence to convince him to be the common opposition candidate. The Maratha strongman, who has friends across the deeply divided political spectrum, however, turned down the proposal, sources in the opposition camp said.
TMC sources said she discussed the strategy for fielding of a consensus candidate with Pawar.
Mamata’s meeting is likely to be attended by the Congress and Left leaders. Sources in the Congress hinted that Jairam Ramesh, Malliakarjun Kharge or Randeep Singh Surjewala will represent the party at the meeting.
CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI general secretary D Raja said the top leadership will not attend the meeting. The CPI(M) will be represented in the meeting by the leader of the party in Rajya Sabha, E Kareem.
Before assigning his party MP for meeting, Yechury wrote a letter to Banerjee calling her decision to host the meeting “unilateral communication.” Apart from leaders from Congress and Left, DMK’s TR Baalu, Shiv Sena’s Subhash Desai, RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary, and Mehbooba Mufti have confirmed participation for the meeting. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will also attend, as will Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren.