Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, June 14
Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday held discussions with Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar at his residence on the July 18 presidential election and efforts to persuade the Maratha leader who has become the top choice of the opposition camp.
On reaching Delhi today, Banerjee’s first stop was the Pawar residence. He has called a meeting of eight non-BJP chief ministers and top opposition leaders tomorrow on the issue.
Meanwhile, Pawar told an internal meeting of the NCP last night that he was not inclined to run for the post of President of India.
Pawar, 81, had similarly turned down Sonia Gandhi’s offer to contest the presidential election in 2017.
The opposition, this year, had built a consensus around Pawar, with Sonia sending Mallikarjun Kharge to speak to four-time former Maharashtra CM and a former defense and agriculture minister.
NCP leader Praful Patel was part of the deliberations between Mamata and Pawar today, with both senior NCP leaders expected to attend the meeting tomorrow.
Top sources in Left parties told The Tribune that all senior leaders had called Pawar asking him to contest the elections. “But Sharad Pawat refused,” he said, putting the ball back on the court.
The opposition leaders are said to be reaching out to some strong candidates to contest the elections as their joint candidate, but with no major breakthrough.
“We will discuss the names in Mamata Banerjee’s meeting tomorrow,” a source said.
In the elections to be held on July 18, the NDA candidate will reach home comfortably.
BJP-appointed interlocutors JP Nadda and Rajnath Singh will try to build a consensus on the presidential candidate.
He is yet to start his talks with the opposition and it is likely to start the next day.