Chief Minister KCR’s Party Backs Yashwant Sinha For President

New Delhi: Two days before the nomination deadline for the presidential election, Telangana Rashtra Samithi has backed the joint opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha for the post. While announcing the party’s decision today, Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao said he would represent K Chandrashekar Rao-led TRS at the nomination.

“President of @trspartyonline Sri KCR Garu has decided to extend support to the candidature of Sri @YashwantSinha Ji in the election for President of India

Along with our Members of Parliament, I will be representing the TRS at the nomination today,” he tweeted.

President of @trspartyonline Sri KCR Garu has decided to extend support to the candidature of Sri @YashwantSinha Ji in the election for President of India

Along with our Members of Parliament, I will be representing the TRS at the nomination today

— KTR (@KTRTRS) June 27, 2022

Yashwant Sinha, who has said that he will be “more constitutional” if elected as President than the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Draupadi Murmu, will file his nomination today. He has also said that while they do not have any “personal fight” with Ms Murmu, the election is “a battle of issues to save the Constitution of India”.

Yashwant Sinha was declared presidential candidate by opposition parties last week. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, and former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi had declined to be presidential nominees of opposition parties.

While the NDA candidate is most likely to win, the opposition camp hasn’t yet lost all hope. Sharad Pawar today said if one looked at the arithmetic for the presidential election, the situation was not as bad as it was made out to be, and the opposition parties will have to make concerted efforts to put up a good fight.

The ruling party on its own has about 49% of the electoral college and to elect the President, one needs to cross the 50% mark.

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and a host of opposition leaders are likely to be present in Parliament House today when Yashwant Sinha will submit his nomination papers for the presidential election.

The last date for filing nominations is June 29, and the elections will be held on July 18.