Former union minister Yashwant Sinha addresses a press conference, in New Delhi, Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Sinha has been unanimously chosen as the joint opposition candidate for upcoming presidential elections. (PTI Photo)
HYDERABAD: The TRS is planning a grand reception to joint Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, when he arrives in the city to campaign for the Presidential election. Sinha is expected to undertake tours to various states for campaigning after filing his nomination papers on June 27.
Party sources said Sinha is expected to meet TRS, the Congress and MIM legislators separately to seek votes. There is uncertainty over NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu campaigning in Hyderabad as the TRS which has 103 MLAs and 16 MPs has decided to back Sinha.
The AIMIM has seven MLAs and an MP in Telangana, and another MP and more than half a dozen legislators in Maharashtra and Bihar. The Congress has six MLAs and three MPs in Telangana. Both are against the NDA. The BJP has three MLAs and four MPs in the state.
In 2017 Presidential poll, NDA’s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind had campaigned in Hyderabad since the TRS had supported the NDA. The TRS arranged a grand reception for Kovind which was attended by party president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, his Cabinet colleagues, party MLAs and MPs.
The opposition parties fielded former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar for the Presidential election but Rao refused to meet her as the TRS had extended support to the NDA.
However, an official announcement on TRS extending support to Yashwant Sinha is yet to come from the Chief Minister. He is expected to make an official announcement on this issue by June 29, the deadline to file nominations.
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