Next President of India: It is Draupadi Murmu vs Gopal Krishna

The opposition has also been discussing the names of NCP chief Sharad Pawar and senior JD-U leader Sharad Yadav.

A unified opposition may chose Gopal Krishna Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi as the candidate for the next president of India. The BJP led NDA on the other hand is almost certain to chose Jharkhand Governor, Draupadi Murmu as the next presidential candidate. The elections will be held in July.

The name of Gandhi, former governor of West Bengal was suggested by Mamata Banerjee and a unified opposition is likely to accept the same. The presidential election will be a big test for the opposition which is looking to beat the BJP.

Who is Gopal Krishna Gandhi?

Gandhi is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. He was the governor of West Bengal between 2004 and 2009. It may be recalled that after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India, he had written an open letter.

Born April 22 1946, he is an Indian civil servant and a diplomat. As a former member of the Indian Administrative Service he has also served as the secretary to the President of India. He was also high commissioner to South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Other candidates opposition may pick

While the name of Gandhi is right up in the opposition's list, there are other names too which are doing the rounds. The opposition has also been discussing the names of NCP chief Sharad Pawar and senior JD-U leader Sharad Yadav. The opposition leaders have had held several rounds of meetings. Congress president, Sonia Gandhi has been leading these meetings. Sources say that a final decision on which candidate to float for the next presidential elections would be taken in the last week of May.

Draupadi Murmu is BJP's pick

If Draupadi Murmu is appointed the President, then she would be the first tribal to hold the coveted post. She is currently the Governor of Jharkhand. Her career in politics spans over 2 decades. She will be the first tribal to be the President of India. She is the daughter of late Biranchi Narayan Tudu. Hailing from Odisha, she was also a former minister in the government there.

Neutral parties in high demand

With the opposition coming together to field a candidate, there is hectic activity to rope in the neutral parties. Leaders of the opposition have decided to rope in the Biju Janata Dal, DMK and also the YSR Congress party. None of these parties have indicated which way they would vote in the July 2017 presidential elections. The DMK has been looking to get the entire opposition under one roof and celebrate the birthday of its leader, M Karunanidhi in June.

OneIndia News