‘Don’t look at me as a son…': Jayant Sinha on father Yashwant contesting presidential polls

In a video message on Twitter, the BJP MP and former Union minister said he will continue to fulfill his duties as a parliamentarian.

Reacting to the announcement that his father, former Union minister Yashwant Sinha, will be the joint opposition's candidate for the upcoming presidential elections, BJP MP Jayant Sinha on Tuesday appealed to all to not look at him as a son, adding that being a committed worker of the party, he will continue to fulfill his responsibilities as a parliamentarian.

Jayant Sinha (File Photo/HT)

“I have just received news that the opposition has announced my father, Shri Yashwant Sinha ji, as their candidate for the President of India. Many people have called me up, and the media, too, has a lot of questions for me. I request you all to not look at me as a son…don't make this a family matter,” Sinha said in a video message on Twitter, speaking in Hindi.

The former Union minister further described himself as a ‘karyakarta’ of the BJP. “As MP from Hazaribagh, I am fully aware of my constitutional duties, and will fulfill them,” he added.

Yashwant Sinha, 84, was, earlier today, picked by the joint opposition as its nominee for the July 18 polls. A former IAS officer and an ex-BJP member himself, Yashwant Sinha was the opposition parties' ‘unanimous’ choice for the post. Earlier, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah and former Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi ‘politely’ turned down the proposal to be the opposition's candidate.

Sinha senior will be up against ex-Jharkhand governor Droupadi Murmu, who will be the candidate of the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The winner will become the 15th President of India, succeeding the incumbent, Ram Nath Kovind, in the country's highest constitutional office.