NCP to BJP: Suggest 'acceptable' presidential candidate

With the presidential elections approaching closer, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday said if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suggests a name which would be accepted by everyone then the election will not be necessary to be held.

"I think, in the best interest of the country, we need a President who should be very assertive, competent, secular and who should be in a position to take the country together. I hope the Prime Minister of India and the ruling party itself proposes such a name which is acceptable to everyone," NCP leader Majeed Memon told ANI.

He further said that the person should not be a total right wing person or belonging to pure Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideology.

"If such a name comes from the BJP then I don't think there should be any election held. If such a name doesn't come, then all the Opposition parties must come together without exception and back a single name," he asserted.

Echoing similar sentiments, another NCP leader Tariq Anwar said with current political scenario prevailing in the country, it would be better that all the Opposition parties come together.

"I think a name with consensus from all the Opposition parties must come up," he added.

As President Pranab Mukherjee's term is set to end this July, all the political heavyweights have started flexing their muscles to place their man in the seat of de jure power as head of the nation.

The Opposition's efforts to pitch for a joint candidate for the presidential elections are set to gain ground in the next days with Congress president Sonia Gandhi expecting to meet Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (DMK) working president M.K. Stalin.

Sonia Gandhi, who has been out of the political scene for quite some time now, has been holding meetings with various political leaders and according to sources, she yesterday met National Conference leader Omar Abdullah.

Sources said, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also spoke to Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, while Sonia spoke to Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rastriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Yadav.

Last week, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Sonia had held a discussion for putting up a joint opposition candidate.

So far, Sonia has held meetings with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI's D Raja on the same issue.

As the election is near, the idea of a united opposition will face a litmus test in the election which needs to be held before July 25, the day when President Mukherjee's term expires.