Haryana’s main opposition party, Indian National lok Dal, which is yet to open its cards about which candidate to back during the presidential polls, has decided that its chief Om Prakash Chautala will take the final call in this regard.
A resolution to this effect was passed during INlD’s State executive meeting held here on Monday. The polls to elect the next President of India will be held on July 17.
While the UPA has announced former lok Sabha's Speaker Meira Kumar as its candidate for the presidential elections, NDA’s pick for the top post is former Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind.
leader of Opposition in Haryana Assembly and INlD’s senior leader Abhay Chautala while talking to the mediapersons said that party’s chief OP Chautala will take final decision on which candidate to back during the presidential polls. A resolution in this regard has been passed in the party meeting, he said.
When asked whether the party has been approached by UPA or NDA for support, the INlD leader said Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has sought support from OP Chautala for Presidential polls.
Chautala said that both UPA and NDA are doing vote bank politics and thus, have chosen Dalit leaders as their President nominee.
The INlD leader, however, added that both leaders have clean image.
“The party will announce its decision on Presidential polls after holding discussion with its chief OP Chautala,” he added.
On the other hand, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda alongwith his loyalists MlAs and son, MP Deepender Singh Hooda reached New Delhi to extend support to UPA’s Presidential nominee Meira Kumar.
Hooda, along with MlAs Kuldeep Sharma, Raghubir Kadiyan, Anand Singh Dangi, Geeta Bhukkal, Karan Dalal, Uday Bhan, lalit Nagar, Jai Tirath Dahiya, Shakuntala Ghatak, Jaivir Balmiki, Jagbir Malik and senior party leader Shadi lal Batra supported Meira Kumar’s candidature.
The two-time former Chief Minister Hooda said that all Congress MPs and MlAs in Haryana will support Meira Kumar and would make efforts to garner more support for her.