Jammu and Kashmir former chief minister and National Conference chief Dr Farooq Abdullah gave a big shock to the Mamatha Benerji-led opposition parties in the light of Presidential elections. He announced that he is withdrawing his name from being considered as the joint opposition candidate for the Presidential election.

Dr Farooq Abdullah is the second leader to pull out of the list as the possible common candidate of the opposition parties. It was NCP supremo Sharad Pawar who expressed his inability to be the common candidate of the opposition parties for the Presidential election.

West Bengal chief minister and the Trinamool Congress chief Mamatha Benerji has been making efforts to field a common and consensus candidate in the Presidential election against the BJP-led NDA. She had convened a meeting of the opposition parties in Delhi on June 15. Several regional parties and the Congress have attended the meeting and have decided to meet again on June 21.

The meeting had proposed two names for consideration after Sharad Pawar expressed his disinclination. The opposition parties, after several discussions, proposed the names of Dr Farooq Abdullah and Dr Gopala Krishna Gandhi as the possible candidates. Now, with Dr Abdhullah withdrawing his name, the name Dr Gopala Krishna Gandhi stands alone. Dr Gandhi is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and former Governor of West Bengal.

The opposition parties have short of required votes for the Presidential election. Though the ruling NDA too is running short of votes, the regional parties like YSR Congress from Andhra Pradesh and the BJD from Odisha have come to its aid giving a clear edge to the BJP’s candidate.

Meanwhile, the BJP leaders have started consultation with the opposition parties seeking support for consensus. The BJP wants a common candidate of both the ruling and opposition parties as the country is celebrating 75 years of Independence. However, no opposition party had backed the BJP’s idea so far.