BJP panel reaches out to Opposition, allies for consensus on prez poll

Six, including a couple, file nominations on first day

On Tuesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah has put a three-member panel to reach out to other parties, including the Opposition, to build consensus for the presidential poll. The result of the panel members having worked the phone to talk to non-National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parties for the past 24 hours was evident at today's strategy meet of the Opposition.

If Shah's objective was to sow seeds of confusion among Opposition ranks, it seemed to have the hit bullseye, at least for the present. The meeting of Opposition leaders was marred by sundry parties issuing caveats on how they