Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad addressing reporters after a meeting with senior BJP leaders. (Photo: ANI)

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leaders said on Friday there is no question of talks or consensus with the NDA on possible Presidential nominees, because the BJP didn't mention names of any candidates it was considering when its leaders met with chief Sonia Gandhi on Friday morning.

"BJP leaders did not mention any name, instead tried asking us the same...They haven't given any names, so there is no question of talks," said senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, after a 30-minute meeting between Sonia Gandhi and BJP leaders Venkaiah Naidu and Rajnath Singh ended. Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge were also at the meeting.

"We were expecting them to suggest a name. Then we would have discussed that within our own party and with other opposition parties," Azad said, reported IANS.

The BJP was the one to initiate the get together with the Congress chief whom they went to meet at her 10, Janpath, residence on Friday morning. Naidu and Rajnath are part of the BJP's Presidential panel along with Arun Jaitley . The meeting was part the BJP's outreach to hammer out a consensus on the official nominee for President. Naidu and Rajnath are also scheduled to meet CPM senior leader Sitaram Yechury soon, IANS reported.

The Presidential election is scheduled for July 17.

On Wednesday, the process of filing nominations for the post of President began. That same evening, a meeting was held of the 10 members of an opposition sub-group formed to discuss their poll strategy. At the meeting, opposition leaders decided to get together again after meeting with the BJP's panel.

A united opposition is hoping to zero in on a "mutually acceptable" Presidential candidate with the ruling BJP-led NDA coalition.

Friday's meeting between the Congress-led opposition and the BJP didn't take matters forward.

(With inputs from PTI)



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