NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Congress leader and former Speaker Meira Kumar, senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav and former West Bengal Governor Gopal Gandhi are among the names being considered by Opposition parties as their joint candidate for the presidential election.
A top opposition leader said these four names have emerged as the top picks for the likely alliance of the several non-NDA parties, including the Congress, the left, the RJD and the JD(U) among others.
With his vast political experience, Pawar is being seen as a natural choice for such an opposition grouping while Kumar is a Dalit leader and hails from the Congress, which is the biggest non-BJP party.
Yadav is a veteran socialist leader with extensive parliamentary experience.
Gandhi, a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and respected scholar, enjoys cross-party appeal. Trinamool Congress is keen on his name, sources said.
Gandhi told PTI that he has been approached by some opposition leaders but declined to name them.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury, CPI's D Raja, Yadav as well as other opposition leaders have held talks to evolve a consensus for pitting a joint candidate against the NDA’s choice. Efforts are also on to widen the opposition alliance by roping in TMC, Naveen Patnaik-led BJD and several regional parties from the southern States.