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The meeting was called by Mamata Banerjee to discuss a joint candidate for the July Presidential election
New Delhi:
Maharashtra leader Sharad Pawar today declined Mamata Banerjee’s offer to be the opposition’s Presidential candidate, saying he “still has an active political innings to play”.
Here are the top 10 updates on this big story:
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The meeting, which was clouded by the absence of five key parties, saw some “chaos” over a resolution that Mamata Banerjee was accused of springing on the meeting without notice, sources say.
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Sources say Mamata Banerjee presented a draft resolution taking on the BJP-led government at the Centre but other parties were upset that it was not circulated earlier for consultation. Many said the meeting had been called for the presidential election, no other subject.
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Some 16 parties discussed a 21 June deadline for naming a presidential candidate versus the candidate of the BJP and its allies. Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge will consult with various parties to build consensus on a name.
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Sharad Pawar, 81, had earlier shut down speculation on the top post at a meeting with his party leaders, who revealed that the former Union Minister was reluctant to fight “a losing battle”. At the meeting called by Mamata Banerjee, he made it official.
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Mamata Banerjee, who had met Sharad Pawar last evening, proposed his name as soon as the meeting started, sources told NDTV. When he refused, she suggested the names of Gopal Gandhi and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah.
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The presidential elections will take place on July 18 and the results will be declared on July 21. June 29 is the last date for nominations.
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Sharad Pawar had the support of many parties, including Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, Left, the Congress and the Shiv Sena. “If Sharad Pawar agreed, everybody will give him support. But Pawarji does not agree, we will discuss,” Ms Banerjee told reporters after the meeting.
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It is just the beginning, the Bengal Chief Minister added. She said the opposition needed to sit together to discuss “the bulldozing taking place in the country.”
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Mamata Banerjee’s rivals Congress and Left attended the meeting though leaders like Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS)’s K Chandrashekhar Rao – who had bonded with the Bengal leader over their common goal of defeating the BJP – decided to boycott it.
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The Akali Dal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Jagan Reddy’s YSR Congress also skipped the meeting.
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