'Sharad meets Sonia amid talks of 'common candidate' for Presidential poll'

Sharad's meeting with Sonia Gandhi took place days after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury met her to discuss the upcoming presidential elections.

New Delhi, April 26: A day after Communist Party of India CPI leader D Raja met Congress president Sonia Gandhi to discuss a joint opposition candidate for the upcoming presidential election, senior JD-U leader Sharad Yadav on Tuesday also met her on the matter.

Yadav, who is also considered as one of the potential candidates for the top post, however, refused to divulge the details of the meeting, saying it was a "courtesy call" while Raja said that he conveyed his party's stand to support a "common candidate" put up by all the "secular democratic parties."

"The issue of presidential election came up for discussion. I have expressed our party's position on the Presidential election. We will go along with other secular democratic parties to put up a common candidate," Raja said.

"We are also talking to other parties. If a common candidate is put up. that will be good," Raja told IANS.

Raja also said that "no name for the candidature was discussed in the meeting, which took place on Monday."

"She listened to us and agreed with me. She has already met several people and is trying to reach out to others also," he added.

Raja said that there were discussions on the current political situation and on the issue of cow vigilantism.

"There is growing intolerance in the country and the situation demands some kind of united people's resistance and she also agreed to it," he said.

Sources in the Congress said that party is willing to give a joint fight to the ruling National Democratic Alliance in the presidential election and in the effort it is trying to make consensus with all like-minded parties.

IANS