Thanks to Mamata Banerjee, Yashwant Sinha has dropped a major hint about the upcoming presidential elections.
Yashwant Sinha said he "must step aside" from the Trinamool Congress in order to promote greater Opposition unity.
New Delhi, India: Trinamool Congress leader and former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha has created a stir by indicating in a tweet that his party could now float his name for the July elections, ahead of a meeting of opposition parties to discuss their joint candidate for the upcoming presidential elections on Tuesday.
Yashwant Sinha has stated that he needs to "step aside" from the party in order to work for greater opposition unity.
Mr. Sinha has submitted his resignation to Mamata Banerjee, the president of the Trinamool Congress.
Mamataji, for the honor and prestige she bestowed on me in the TMC, I am grateful. Now is the time for me to step aside from the party in order to work for greater opposition unity for a larger national cause. He tweeted, "I'm sure she approves of the move."
Former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi became the third person to withdraw his name as a possible joint opposition presidential candidate, following Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah.
According to reports, the opposition parties discussed Yashwant Sinha's name on Monday after Gopalkrishna Gandhi declined their offer.
In 2018, Yashwant Sinha left the BJP and joined the Trinamool Congress. Later, he was named vice-president of the party.
Mamata Banerjee is expected to skip Sharad Pawar's opposition meeting later today. According to sources, her nephew Abhishek Banerjee will represent the Trinamool Congress at the meeting.
Today is also the BJP's parliamentary board meeting, at which the party is expected to finalize its presidential candidate.
On June 15, the process of electing a new president began. The deadline for submitting nominations is June 29. If necessary, the polls will be held on July 18 and the results will be announced in July.