Presidential polls: Uma Bharti urges Oppn candidate Sinha to withdraw nomination

BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti on Wednesday urged Yashwant Sinha, who is opposition parties' candidate for the July 18 presidential election, to withdraw his nomination ''if he believed in what he used to say'' when he was in the saffron party earlier.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Tuesday named Droupadi Murmu, a tribal leader from Odisha, as its candidate, while former Union minister Sinha was declared as a joint nominee by major opposition parties, including the Congress, the NCP and the TMC.

Sinha, who served in the cabinet of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had quit the saffron party in 2018 following serious differences with the party leadership.

Taking to Twitter, Bharti said Sinha was once the part of the BJP's think-tank and everyone used to follow his suggestions.

''It is a matter of pride and an achievement for all of us that the NDA has declared Droupadi Murmu as the presidential candidate. This will increase the dignity of the country's Constitution and its respect in the whole world,'' Bharti said. Yashwant Sinha, the opposition's candidate for the presidential election, was part of BJP's think tank before becoming a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, she said in another tweet. ''At that time, I used to participate in the party meetings. If Yashwant Sinha believes and follows what he spoke at that time, then he should withdraw his candidature from the presidential election,'' Bharti added.

The former Union minister said Sinha may have issues with the NDA, but ''if things are happening as per one's beliefs, then we should not stand against it''.

''If this is the meaning of free consciousness, then Yashwant Sinha ji, who is like my elder brother, should accept my request,'' she said. The presidential election would be held on July 18 to elect a successor to incumbent Ram Nath Kovind and the result would be out on July 21.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)