Attempting to pitch a common candidate for the upcoming Presidential polls by forging a grand alliance of the Opposition, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called up many Opposition leaders to discuss the issue.
While Sonia rang up Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Samajwadi Party patriach Mulayam Singh Yadav RJD chief lalu Prasad and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah about the possibility of putting up a joint candidate for the upcoming presidential election, Rahul called up former UP CM and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav with whom he had an alliance for the Assembly elections in the State.
AICC sources said that Sonia is also likely to meet other Opposition leaders like West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, BSP supremo Mayawati besides DMK’s M K Stalin in the next few days and there-after call on all the Opposition leaders if the partners agreed.
She has already been holding discussions over telephone with Mulayam and lalu on a united opposition taking on the BJP in the presidential elections, due in July to replace Pranab Mukherjee.
She has been at the forefront of evolving a consensus among Opposition parties for a joint candidate “acceptable to all”. The Congress chief earlier met a number of leaders including Nitish, JD (U)’s Sharad Yadav, NCP’s Sharad Pawar and left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja.
Sources said the opposition is trying to put up a united face and jointly fight the presidential poll even though the numbers have tilted in favour of the NDA after the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election results. Parleys are also being held among leaders of other opposition parties.
Congress leaders have been saying that the party would take a “conscious, concerted and balanced call” on a joint opposition presidential candidate after consultation with all opposition leaders. There has been a sudden flurry of activity by the opposition to forge a strong alliance to take on the Narendra Modi-led BJP after its recent winning streak in several states.
The BJP currently has governments in 13 states and is a junior partner in the ruling alliances in Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh. Some feel that the united face of the opposition for contesting the presidential elections may well turn out to be a precursor to an anti-NDA front ahead of the 2019 lok Sabha election.