Presidential polls: Yashwant Sinha to be candidate of Opposition parties

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Former Minister of Finance and External Affairs Yashwant Sinha will be the presidential candidate of the Opposition parties for the election, which will take place on July 18, 2022.

Sinha has served the nation in various capacities as an able administrator, accomplished parliamentarian and acclaimed Union Minister of Finance and External Affairs. He is eminently qualified to uphold the secular and democratic character of the Indian Republic and its Constitutional values, said the press release.

"We (opposition parties) have unanimously decided that Yashwant Sinha will be our common candidate for the Presidential election," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said after the meeting of the combined opposition parties held at the Parliament Annexe.

The meeting was called by NCP top leader Sharad Pawar and attended by leaders from the Congress, TMC, Samajwadi Party, CPI, CPI-M, National Conference, and RJD among others.

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"In his long and distinguished career in public life, Sinha has served the nation in various capacities. An able administrator, accomplished Parliamentarian, and an acclaimed Union Minister of Finance and External Affairs, he is eminently qualified to uphold the secular and democratic character of the Indian republic and its constitutional values," he said.

"Ideally, a consensus candidate of the government and the opposition should be elected to the highest office of the republic. However, the initiative for this should have been taken by the government. The Modi government made no serious effort in this direction," he added.

The counting of the Presidential polls to be held on July 21.

(with inputs from PTI and IANS)