Discuss Other Names For Presidential Polls, Sharad Pawar Urges: Party

The Nationalist Congress Party thanked the 17 opposition parties for suggesting Sharad Pawar's name for the presidential poll.

The NCP on Wednesday said that even as the leaders of 17 opposition parties urged party chief Sharad Pawar to be the joint opposition candidate for the presidential election, he once again declined the offer and requested the parties to propose some other names during the meeting to be held next week in Delhi.

The NCP, which is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, also thanked the 17 opposition parties for suggesting Mr Pawar's name for the presidential poll.

"NCP thanks all the 17 opposition parties for unanimously recommending the name of NCP president Sharad Pawar as the presidential candidate of the united opposition. But Pawar saheb has declined to be the candidate for the same. Next meeting to discuss the more names will be held in Delhi on June 21," NCP's chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said in a statement.

Leaders of 17 opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, NCP, DMK, RJD and the Left parties on Wednesday attended the over two-hour-long meeting called by the Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to build consensus on fielding a joint candidate against the BJP-led NDA in the presidential election.