Senior party leader and Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said that ruling Bharatiya Janata Party will announce its presidential nominee before 23rd of this month. The minister said this while talking to reporters after meeting with LJP Chief Ram Vilas Paswan over the issue in New Delhi today. Mr. Naidu is the member of a group formed by BJP Chief Amit Shah to hold consultation with political parties on presidential elections. The last date of filing nomination is 28th of this month. Mr Paswan said LJP will side with whatever decision the Prime Minister takes.
Two days back, the Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and M Venkaiah Naidu had meetings with Congress President Sonia Gandhi, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and other opposition leaders separately as part of BJP’s outreach to evolve a consensus on the presidential nominee. However, no name was discussed by either side for the top Constitutional post.
The BJP leaders also had meetings with AIADMK leader M Thambidurai and CPI leader S Sudhakar Reddy, Samajwadi party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra. Mr Naidu also spoke to Sharad Yadav of JD(U). They also had discussion with BJP veterans L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.
