AAP breaks silence, backs Meira Kumar as presidential candidate

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday announced that it would back Congress-led Opposition's candidate Meira Kumar in the upcoming presidential elections, ruling out support for the NDA's choice for president Ram Nath Kovind.

"It was decided in a recently held meeting of the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC), chaired by the national convener Arvind Kejriwal, that we will support the joint Opposition candidate Meira Kumar," senior party leader Sanjay Singh said.

Elaborating on AAP's reasons for supporting Kumar's candidacy, Singh said, "Arvind Kejriwal received a phone call on Meira Kumar's behalf seeking support for her in the elections. The PAC decided to support her because of the role of the Opposition is important under the current political climate in the country."

He added, "We also think that the election of the President should be held above party lines. In fact, it would be better if the President and Vice President are chosen by consensus between the government and the Opposition."

AAP had earlier maintained a distance from the joint meeting held by various Opposition parties, to determine their presidential candidate. The party's support, however, may be of little help to Kumar as with 65 MLAs in Delhi and 20 in Punjab, it comprises just one percent of the Electoral College.