The opposition's presidential candidate Meira Kumar will file her nomination papers on Wednesday, the last date of filing nominations. Congress sources said that Kumar will be accompanied by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior leaders including Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge when she files her papers.
Leaders of 16 other parties supporting her, including NCP's Sharad Pawar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad are also expected to be present during the filing of nomination.
Kumar, a former Lok Sabha Speaker, will face the NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind who has already filed his nomination papers. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has a clear edge in the election and Kovind is widely expected to sail through.
Kumar had on Sunday appealed to members of the electoral college to "heed the inner voice of conscience" while casting their vote in the July 17 election and said the President's office "cannot function to serve narrow political interests".
In a statement on Saturday, she stressed that the post of President of India is "not symbolic" and that "capability and experience must always supersede" every other consideration while choosing the person for the post.
