Yashwant Sinha quits TMC amid Prez candidate buzz

Former Union minister Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday said he will 'step aside' from the Trinamool Congress to work for the larger national cause of Opposition unity, amid indications that he is being considered as the Opposition's joint candidate for the presidential elections.

The development comes a day after it was learnt that TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee proposed his name as the joint Opposition candidate for the post of President.

'I am grateful to Mamataji for the honour and prestige she bestowed on me in the TMC. Now a time has come when for a larger national cause I must step aside from the party to work for greater Opposition unity. I am sure she approves of the step,' Sinha said in a tweet.

Opposition parties are set to meet in Delhi on Tuesday to decide on their joint candidate for the Presidential poll scheduled on July 18.