Who would be the 13th President of India? This Question is on the mouth of every Political Analyst and Common Person. Till now it was speculated that Mr. Pranab Mukherjee is leading the race for Raisina Hill, but as they says Politics is the game of Certainty. Political Stake holders are busy playing their best cards in order to have a deal in deciding the President.
Yesterday, UPA ally Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi party Chief Mulayam Singh, who is providing outside support to government, pitched the names of former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee.
Left Parties said it will not support a Congress candidate for the presidential polls and dismissed the move of the Samajawadi Party and Trinamool Congress suggesting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s name for the high office as a “political gimmick”.
“The Congress has to be opposed for its failure… it (the UPA) is the most non-performing government… the prime minister is non-functional… It is a political gimmick by the Congress,” Communist Party of India leader Gurudas Dasgupta told a TV channel.
NDA has refused to name a leader, but has shown equal support towards Kalam and Mukherjee.
BJP sources said Kalam’s name was discussed in the core committee meet. The former president may find favour as the BJP had made him the president in 2002.
JD-U chief Sharad Yadav Wednesday said he had “good relations” with Mukherjee, the first choice of Congress for the top post, but remained non-committal on backing him, saying the NDA would take a decision only after Congress candidate is declared.
Janata Dal-United (JD-U) secretary Javed Rasa told IANS that the NDA meeting on presidential polls will be held only after Saturday.
Meanwhile BJP Leader Jaswant Singh met SP Supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav (possibly for Vice Presidential Post) which further warmed up the speculations.
JD-U chief Sharad Yadav officially rejected Jaswant Singh. “People meet each other. We have not decided for any name in any meeting of NDA. Only Jaswant Singh can tell whom did he meet and why did he meet. It is normal. We keep meeting,” Yadav said.
BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman, however, ruled out Jaswant Singh’s candidature, saying the meeting was to fathom what other parties were thinking.
“The party was seized of the meeting. It was to know what other parties are thinking,” Sitharaman said.