This leaves Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, as the front-runner to become the opposition’s choice for the top election. The opposition parties will hold their second meeting on Tuesday in the national capital to finalize the candidate. It is learned that Abdullah’s return may be linked to Gandhi’s indications that he would accept the candidature only as the unanimous choice of the anti-BJP faction. Pawar has already refused to be a joint candidate.
Sources said Pawar is the host of the second meeting, and he will invite the TRS, which did not participate in the discussion on Wednesday.
In his statement, abdullah He said Jammu and Kashmir is passing through a critical phase and their efforts are needed to help them navigate these “uncertain times”. He also said that he has “a lot of active politics ahead of me and I look forward to making a positive contribution to the service of J&K and the country”.
Abdullah said, “I am honored by Mamata Banerjee Sahiba to propose my name as a possible joint opposition candidate for the post of President of India.” Withdrawing his name as a possible candidate, he said he would support the final choice.
Now all eyes are on Gandhi. TMC chief Banerjee had pitched Gandhi along with Abdullah in Wednesday’s brainstorming. While some contestants did not like the way the West Bengal CM tried to steal the show by proposing names without prior discussion with other attendees, he was not against supporting Gandhi or Abdullah, a school argued that Gandhi’s candidacy would help frame the competition between “secularism” and “Hindu majoritarianism” as an ideological battle.
Abdullah is the second politician after Pawar to refuse a BJP-led contest NDA Seems to be comfortably placed.
Abdullah said he was “extremely impressed by the support I received and was honored to be considered for the highest position in the country”.
Farooq has only three MPs including himself. Parliament, and the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly does not exist. Political parties based in Jammu and Kashmir do not count much in the presidential elections, given their low number of legislators.