Cong MLAs meet to support Kumar's presidential candidature

MLAs of opposition Congress party met on 27 June to support the candidature of UPA presidential nominee Meira Kumar.

Kumar would file her nomination on Wednesday.

More than 35 legislators out of a total 56 Congress MLAs in the state assembly turned up for the meeting where 20 candidates were required to subscribe her nomination, state Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki said.

Solanki and Shankersinh Vaghela will go to Delhi on June 28 with the letter supporting presidential candidate Meira Kumar's nomination by state party MLAs, they said.

The meeting was held at Gandhinagar circuit house with both Solanki and Leader of Opposition in State Assembly Vaghela present there.

Nomination of a candidate for election to the post of president is required to be subscribed by at least 50 electors as proposers and 50 as seconders.

"The Congress and allies have supported the candidature of former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, daughter of Dalit leader Jagjivan Ram.

"She is a well-qualified candidate. We needed 20 MLAs from our party to subscribe her nomination, but more than 35 MLAs turned up for the meeting," Vaghela said.

"On June 28, Bharatsinh Solankiji, me, and other MLAs, if required, will go to Delhi and hand over the letter of support for Meira Kumar's nomination to the returning officer," he said.

"The country's president should be well qualified, intelligent, responsible, and the Congress and alliance parties have shortlisted a candidate who is well qualified, responsible, and has performed her duty as a Lok Sabha speaker in a very responsible manner," Solanki said.

"We required support of 10 candidates in each of the two nomination support forms (as proposers and seconders)," he said.

The presidential election is scheduled for July 17 and the counting of votes will take place on July 20.

NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind had on June 23 filed his nomination in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

-ANI