Former union minister and TMC vice president Yashwant Sinha quit the party and said that the time has come he must step aside from the party for a larger national cause and to work for greater opposition unity.
The development comes amid speculation that the opposition parties might field him as a joint candidate for the upcoming presidential election.
“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,” he wrote on Twitter.
According to sources, opposition leaders from the Left and Congress met NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday night ahead of today’s crucial meeting on presidential poll. During the meeting, Pawar proposed Sinha’s name for the presidential candidate. The Congress and Left leaders didn’t suggest any names.
Pawar will today hold a meeting of major opposition parties to deliberate on a consensus candidate for the upcoming presidential elections. TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is likely to represent the party at the opposition meeting.
During the first opposition meeting on presidential poll called by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Delhi, it was decided that a common candidate, who will “uphold the democratic ethos of the country”, will be chosen as the opposition nominee.
Earlier, the opposition proposed three names as possible opposition candidates- former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Pawar and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah. However, all three gave the offer a pass.
The Presidential election is scheduled to be held on July 18. President Ram Nath Kovind’s tenure ends on July 24.
