NEW DELHI, June 28 (Xinhua) -- India's former Parliament Speaker and the opposition parties' candidate for president Meira Kumar on Wednesday filed her nomination papers for the July 17 poll.
Kumar was accompanied by the country's main opposition Congress party's chief Sonia Gandhi when she went to file the nomination papers before the parliament's secretary general to contest the presidential election against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate, Ram Nath Kovind.
"For us, it is a battle of ideology, principles and the truth, and we will fight for it," Gandhi told the media.
The presidential polls are due on July 17 and the results will be declared three days later. Incumbent President Pranab Mukherjee's five-year tenure expires in July-end.
"Freedom of press, social justice and the destruction of the caste structure are at the core of the ideology that united the opposition parties that have fielded me for President. I thank all the opposition parties," Kumar said on Tuesday.
While the BJP and its allies, along with regional parties who have offered support, have over 60 percent of the vote. It is expected to be a close fight given that Kumar has the support of almost all opposition parties.
The Indian president is the ceremonial head of state and has a fixed term of five years, which is renewable upon winning the election. The members of parliament and lawmakers of the state assemblies form the electorate that elects the president. Enditem
