Congress contacts resembling parties in order to field a common candidate

In a telephonic call hours after the Election Commission announced the presidential election scheduled on July 18, Congress President Sonia Gandhi asked Maharashtra leaders to meet NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena President and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray with the message that like-minded parties should field a common nominee to take on the BJP candidate.

 

Following Sonia's instructions, Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat, who is also the Congress Legislature Party leader, and Public Works Minister Ashok Chavan met Pawar at his Silver Oak residence, accompanied by Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, and discussed fielding a consensus candidate of non-BJP and like-minded parties in the presidential election.

 

Pawar told state Congress leaders that he agrees with Gandhi on this issue and that he will hold talks with other parties to find a consensus candidate to oppose the BJP nominee. The Congress leaders will now deliver Gandhi's message to Thackeray and accept Shiv Sena's support. In addition, the MVA government, which includes the Shiv Sena, the NCP and Congress, has been in power for two and a half years.

 

According to a senior Congress leader, they will also approach other like-minded parties, including the DMK, TMC, and SP, about the presidential election. Given the combined strength of the three parties, as well as independents and smaller outfits, he believes Maharashtra can be a significant contributor of votes in the presidential Electoral College.

 

He recalled how, during the BJP's tenure in Maharashtra, former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis played a key role in the July 2017 presidential election. NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind received votes from 208 MLAs, which was 23 more than the combined tally of MLAs from the BJP and the Shiv Sena, which were then sharing power in the state. Meira Kumar, the opposition nominee, received votes from 77 MLAs, six fewer than the combined strength of the Congress and the NCP in the state assembly.

 

 

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