Sonia Gandhi to host luncheon meet over presidential candidate today; Bihar CM Nitish Kumar won't attend

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi will on Friday host a luncheon meet where deliberations on a consensus presidential candidate will take place.

The Congress leader has invited prominent opposition leaders for the meet in the Parliament House Library on a day that also marks the third anniversary of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, however, will not be there because of a prior engagement, sources said, adding that his party, the JD-U, would be represented by Sharad Yadav.

According to senior leaders, there will also be an informal meeting before the lunch.

The sources also said the Congress had not invited Delhi chief minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.

CPI leader D Raja confirmed he would attend, while JD-U leader KC Tyagi said senior leaders of the party will be present.

Opposition party leaders, including Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury, are expected to attend.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, will also attend.

The Trinamool Congress chief met Congress president Sonia Gandhi last week and conveyed that her party was in favour of a consensus candidate for the Presidential Election.

Among the names doing the rounds as the opposition's consensus candidates are of former governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi and former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar.

The term of President Pranab Mukherjee ends in July. The ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, which has a clear edge in the Presidential Election, has not given any inkling so far on its choice of candidate.

Gandhi has been contacting leaders opposed to the ruling BJP to evolve a consensus.

She has spoken to Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and met JD-U leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah.

The Congress chief is also expected to meet Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati.

DMK leader Kanimozhi had invited Sonia Gandhi for her father and DMK chief M Karunanidhi's 94th birthday celebrations in Chennai on June 03, when another meeting of opposition leaders is likely to take place.

(With Agency inputs)