Former union minister Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday was named as the joint opposition candidate for the presidential polls.The decision to name the 84-year-old leader as the presidential candidate was announced by a meeting of the opposition leaders in the national capital.
Yashwant Sinha, a civil servant-turned politician, has served as union minister in the governments led by Chandra Shekhar and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Sinha’s name came up after Pawar, Gopalkrishna Gandhi and Farooq Abdullah opted out of the race.
The BJP is yet to announce its pick for the July polls.
Opposition leaders, who gathered at the Parliament annexe for the meeting convened by NCP chief Sharad Pawar, unanimously agreed on Mr Sinha’s name.
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“In the forthcoming Presidential elections, we have decided to elect a common candidate and stop the Modi government from doing further damage. At a subsequent meeting held today we have chosen Yashwant Sinha as a common candidate. We appeal to all political parties to vote for Yashwant Sinha,” said Jairam Ramesh, Congress’s communication chief, reading from a joint statement by the opposition.
Mamata Banerjee has congratulated Sinha on becoming the consensus candidate of Opposition for the presidential polls and called him a man of “great honour and acumen”.
“I would like to congratulate Shri @YashwantSinha on becoming the consensus candidate, supported by all progressive opposition parties, for the upcoming Presidential Election. A man of great honour and acumen, who would surely uphold the values that represent our great nation!” she tweeted.
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