New Delhi: Opposition presidential candidate Meira Kumar filed her nomination papers on Wednesday for the July 17 election during which she will take on NDA's Ram Nath Kovind.


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Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader D Raja, TMC leader Derek O`Brien and several others were present during the filing of nomination in Parliament before Lok Sabha Secretary General, the returning officer for the presidential election.


Punjab's Amarinder Singh, Karnataka's Siddaramaiah and Puducherry's Narayanswamy were among the Congress chief ministers who were present when Kumar filed the papers in Parliament.


However, RJD chief Lalu Yadav was not present.


Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who was missing in action, praised Meira Kumar and backed her presidential candidature in a tweet.


''Against ideology of divisiveness, she represents values that bind us as a nation, proud to have Meira Kumar as our candidate,'' Rahul Gandhi said in the tweet.


Before reaching the Parliament, Meira Kumar visited 'Rajghat' and 'Samta Sthal', memorial of Mahatma Gandhi and her father Babu Jagjivan Ram respectively.   



During a press conference on Tuesday, Kumar had reiterated that there should not be oneupmanship on caste for the post of President.


Speaking on the emergence of two factions, each supporting the two presidential candidates, Kumar said that 17 political parties have extended their support to her.


"I have written to the collegium of MPs and MLAs and asked for their support. I have requested them to listen to the inner voice of conscience," she said.


Responding to a poser on Janata Dal (United) supporting NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, Kumar said, "Such things happen in politics. I will decide what to do at the right time."


Kumar said that she will start her presidential campaign from Gujarat's Sabarmati Ashram.


The 75-year-old former Lok Sabha Speaker has been picked up by 17 political parties against the ruling NDA's nominee Ram Nath Kovind. She has pitched the presidential contest as a ''battle of ideologies'' and not a ''Dalit versus Dalit'' fight. 


Kumar has been pitted against National Democratic Alliance ( NDA) presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind by the opposition.


The presidential elections are set to take place on July 17. 


With ANI inputs