"I am grateful to Mamataji for the honour and status she bestowed on me as a member of the TMC. Now is the time for me to leave the party in order to fight for greater opposition unity on a broader national scale. I'm sure she approves of the move," Sinha tweeted.
Former union minister and TMC vice president Yashwant Sinha resigned from the party on Tuesday, saying that the time has come for him to stand aside for a larger national cause and to fight for greater opposition unity. The news comes amid rumours that the opposition parties may run him as a joint candidate in the 2018 presidential election.
"I am grateful to Mamataji for the honour and status she bestowed on me as a member of the TMC. Now is the time for me to leave the party in order to fight for greater opposition unity on a broader national scale. I'm sure she approves of the move," he tweeted.
I am grateful to Mamataji for the honour and prestige she bestowed on me in the TMC. Now a time has come when for a larger national cause I must step aside from the party to work for greater opposition unity. I am sure she approves of the step.
— Yashwant Sinha (@YashwantSinha)According to reports, Opposition leaders from the Left and Congress met with NCP President Sharad Pawar on Monday night ahead of today's key presidential election meeting. Pawar recommended Sinha as the presidential candidate during the conference. The Congress and Left leaders made no suggestions for names.
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During the first Opposition conference on the presidential election hosted by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Delhi, it was determined that the opposition nominee will be a common candidate who will "uphold the democratic character of the country."
Previously, the Opposition nominated three candidates: former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Pawar, and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah. However, all three declined the offer. The presidential election is set to take place on July 18. The presidency of Ram Nath Kovind expires on July 24.
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(With PTI inputs)