Opposition unity faces presidential poll test

BJP is set to get its candidate elected for top post, but opposition wants to put up symbolic fight

In the second week of April, as the Budget session of Parliament drew to a close, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Communist Party of India (Marxist) chief Sitaram Yechury ran into each other in its corridors. Their brief conversation soon switched to a matter of common concern — the upcoming elections for President and Vice-President. Both leaders felt a united Opposition should put up common candidates for the country’s top constitutional posts. This, however, required a longer strategy session. But they didn’t want the news, that they were deliberating on the issue, to become public at such an early stage.