Opposition parties meet to decide Vice President candidate

Leaders from 18 opposition parties on Tuesday met here to decide their candidate for the August 5 Vice Presidential election.

The meeting of the opposition parties began at the Parliament Library building by observing two-minute silence in respect of seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims killed in Monday's terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Vice President Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress Parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad were present at the meeting.

The Janata Dal-United, which is backing NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind for the July 17 presidential election, joined the Opposition conclave, represented by senior leader Sharad Yadav.

CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Janata Dal-Secular leader and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, BSP leader Satish Mishra, Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh, Nationalist Congress Party's Praful Patel, CPI's D. Raja and Trinamool Congress's Derek O'Brien were also present.

The last date for filing nomination for the vice presidential election is July 18, while scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on July 19. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is July 21.

Hamid Ansari has been the Vice President and ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha since August 11, 2007. He won the second term on August 11, 2012. His current term ends on August 10.

--IANS

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