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KCR backs Yashwant Sinha as presidential nominee in opposition unity gesture
Presidential Polls: In the July 18 elections, Yashwant Sinha and Droupadi Murmu are facing each other.
Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao has backed Yashwant Sinha as the presidential candidate, his son and state minister KT Rama Rao has said in a tweet. The former union minister, who had quit the Trinamool Congress as the opposition declared its pick for the post, is set to file his nomination papers on Monday.
"President of @trspartyonline Sri KCR Garu has decided to extend support to the candidature of Sri @YashwantSinha Ji in the election for President of India. Along with our Members of Parliament, I will be representing the TRS at the nomination today," KTR said in a tweet.
The Telangana leader has been holding opposition meetings ahead of the 2024 elections as differences widen between him and the BJP. The opposition has been trying to put up a united front ahead of the national elections.
Yashwant Sinha's name as the opposition candidate was revealed after a series of discussions among opposition leaders, including Sharad Pawar and Mamata Banerjee.
Last week, NDA's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu had filed her nomination at the parliament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top union ministers were present at the time in a show of support.
Even as numbers seem to be in favour of Murmu for the July 18 presidential elections, the opposition is ready to make last ditch efforts.
“When we contest an election, we contest to win. When there are two candidates, both cannot win. The situation is different for each candidate. This contest is about principles. We have selected Yashwant Sinha as our common candidate and it is our responsibility to make every effort to ensure his victory. Whatever be the result, we can talk about it later,” Sharad Pawar reportedly said at a meeting on Sunday.
Sinha's son, Jayant Sinha, is also not backing him. In his response, the seasoned leader, who had quit the BJP in 2018, told PTI on Sunday: “I am not under any ‘dharma sankat’ over not getting the support of my son. He follows his ‘Raj Dharma’ and I will follow my ‘Rashtra Dharma’". Jayant too is a BJP leader.
(With inputs from PTI)
