Presidential candidate should be 'firm secular person': Yechury

Emphasizing that the post of presidential is critical, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Friday said all the Left-front has decided to find a firm and secular candidate who is committed to the Indian Constitution.

Yechury told ANI" The candidate should be a "firm secular person". The idea is to find somebody on whose name all of us can unite."

Apart from meeting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, the CPI (M) has also held informal discussions with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad.

Meanwhile, JD(U) general secretary K. C. Tyagi has refused to on the Nitish-Sonia meeting, limiting himself to saying that it was a personal meeting related to her health.

"There was no discussion on the presidential candidate or on a bigger alliance. But we are sticking to our stand. A common presidential nominee by opposition parties will be the touchstone of the larger opposition unity against BJP. Sonia Gandhi being the most senior leader of Bihar alliance should take the lead in the matter," Tyagi told ANI.

Rashtriya Janata Dal Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav said, "Sonia Gandhi called me a week ago, she asked about my health and my family members. She told me to tell the time and to inform the office accordingly. She will come here to meet me."

Lalu added "We have won the election when we are in alliance with each other and we have lost where we are not together. We have already seen the result of 'Mahagathbandhan' formed against Modi in Bihar."

The Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday and is learnt to have discussed the issue of putting up a common nominee for the presidential polls to be held in July.

President Pranab Mukherjee's term draws to a close on July 25.