New Delhi:
CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on upcoming presidential polls. It is said that the leaders discussed strategy to unite the opposition for their candidature against the ruling party BJP in the presidential polls which will be held in July.
Prior to the meeting, Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar had met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and is learnt to have advocated unity among opposition parties to take on the BJP-led NDA.
JD(U) also used the meeting to call for a joint opposition candidate for the election to the President's post and urged Gandhi to take the lead in the matter.
Its spokesperson K C Tyagi, however, had insisted that the issue of presidential election was not discussed in the meeting and added it was his party's view that a strong joint opposition candidate will be in national interest.
Presidential poll on mind, Yechury meets Sonia Gandhi https://t.co/gWcQODrrZG pic.twitter.com/tXk7OcjsFP
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"There should a joint opposition candidate for the top Constitutional post and Sonia Gandhi being the leader of the largest opposition party should take the lead," he had said.
Kumar has already taken up the matter with leaders of the Left parties and received a good response, he had said.
Another senior JD(U) leader had said Kumar's visit to Gandhi's residence was a courtesy call as the Congress is the party's ally in Bihar and also because Gandhi had been ill for some time.