TRS to support Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha in presidential polls

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has decided to extend its support to the joint Opposition's candidate Yashwant Sinha in the upcoming Presidential polls.

This was announced by TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, who took to Twitter to announce this on Monday. "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."

Rama Rao along with TRS MPs left for New Delhi to represent TRS during the filing of nomination by Sinha later in the day.

The TRS leader in Lok Sabha Nama Nageshwar Rao, MPs Ranjith Reddy, Suresh Reddy, B.B. Patil and others will be present during the filing of nomination.

The TRS chief took the decision a few days after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar spoke to him over the phone and requested his support for Sinha's candidature.

Though KCR, as the TRS chief is popularly known, accepted Pawar's request, the party made an official announcement only on Monday.

Earlier, the TRS had stayed away from the meeting called by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on June 15 in the national capital to discuss the opposition's strategy for the Presidential elections.

The TRS was unhappy with Mamata Banerjee inviting Congress party for the meeting. The TRS cited its stand to maintain equidistance from both the BJP and the Congress. The TRS leadership made it clear that it can't be a part of any exercise which has the participation of the Congress.

The TRS leaders had also questioned the purpose of calling a meeting when a candidate was already selected. They felt that the opposition parties should have first discussed a leader acceptable to all parties in advance and then convinced such a leader later.

They were referring to Mamata Banerjee's request to Sharad Pawar to be the opposition candidate. The NCP chief, however, declined the offer saying he wants to remain in active politics.

--IANS

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