BJP Coordination Committee meeting today to discuss presidential election

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, June 18

A 14-member BJP coordination committee will on Sunday discuss the party’s strategy for the upcoming Presidential elections.

This is the first meeting of the committee formed after the announcement of the Presidential elections for which the ruling BJP is yet to reveal its candidate.

Sources say detailed discussions will be held at the meeting chaired by party chief JP Nadda in which Home Minister Amit Shah is also expected to participate. Committee members say they will be given responsibilities of different states to visit and coordinate.

Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had been tasked with the responsibility to hold talks with all political parties to make a consensus candidate, for which there has been no headway so far.

Nadda and Singh have spoken to several opposition leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav. However, all parties are waiting for the BJP to open its cards.

Meanwhile, opposition parties like the BJD and the YSR-Congress are expected to vote for the BJP candidate and so are some others.

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat are convenor and party general secretaries Vinod Tawde and CT Ravi co-conveners of the co-ordination committee formed by the BJP to coordinate with state units and allies.

The other members includes Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Sarbananda Sonowal, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Bharti Pawar, party general Secretary Tarun Chugh, vice-president DK Aruna and secretary Rituraj Sinha. BJP women’s wing chief Vanathi Srinivas, Lok Sabha MP Rajdeep Roy and spokesperson Sambit Patra are also part of the election-management committee.

Opposition parties have decided to field a common candidate for the presidential election but so far no name has emerged from their side as well. NCP chief Sharad Pawar and NC leader Farooq Abdullah have both declined the offer.

The 16th Presidential elections will be held on July 18 and the counting of votes will take place on July 21.