Mamata had said her party and SP will have common strategy on presidential poll
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday met Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on arrival from Kolkata to discuss the presidential election.
Earlier in the day, the SP chief received a surprise visitor — BJP leader Jaswant Singh — who came ostensibly to seek his support for his candidature as Vice-President.
With 7 per cent votes in the electoral college in his party's kitty, Mr. Yadav's support is crucial, particularly after Ms. Banerjee's remarks that the two parties would have a common strategy on the poll.
A senior SP leader told The Hindu that the party chief was non-committal on Mr. Jaswant Singh's desire to be the vice-presidential candidate. Election to the office of the Vice-President is scheduled in August.
The meeting between the senior BJP leader and Mr. Yadav triggered speculation if the BJP is testing the waters for a “quid pro quo” with the United Progressive Alliance on the presidential and vice-presidential positions. Highly-placed sources in the party maintained that Mr. Singh came in his individual capacity.
Mr. Yadav remained tight-lipped, the sources said, giving the impression that the SP may not favour a BJP nominee for Vice-President, even if the presidential candidate were to be veteran Congress leader and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Earlier, the name of BJP ally and Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal was doing the rounds for Vice-President.
It is a convention that if there is consensus on the President's position, then the Vice-President's post goes to an Opposition nominee.
The BJP and NDA have not yet taken a stand on presidential and vice-presidential nominees.
There are indications in political circles that it would be possible to build a consensus on the name of Mr. Mukherjee. Most of the UPA allies have hinted at their willingness to support Mr. Mukherjee, though the Congress is yet to name him as the official candidate. Senior SP leaders hinted that if the Congress were to dither on Mr. Mukherjee, then consensus-building might be difficult.
The party, it is learnt, will favour Mr. Mukherjee, regardless of getting a ‘financial package' for Uttar Pradesh, of the kind that West Bengal is expected to be granted. Mr. Yadav had declared his preference for a presidential candidate with a political background.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav appealed a few weeks ago to the Prime Minister for a package for the State.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker P. A. Sangma has been supported by the AIADMK and the BJD. However, Sharad Pawar's NCP has made it clear it would go along with the official UPA candidate.
Keywords: Presidential election, UPA presidential candidate, Trinamool Congress, Mamata-Mulayam meeting, Jaswant Singh
Dear Readers, Only Jaswant Singh is respected by Muslims among the existing leaders in BJP. It may be difficult for SP to support him to risk muslims back up for his government.
Jaswant Singh as Vice President of India? No way. Anyone who has read his book, "Jinnah: India, Independence, Partition" will not agree. On page 479 he writes,"a post-1947, residual India began to look both conceptually questionable and even incomplete...".On page 499, he writes, "Afterall Pakistan had been no more than a 'negotiating idea', a tactical ploy to obtain greater political role for the Muslims of India so that they could become arbiters of their own political and social destiny, instead of leaving it in the 'unreliable political hands of a Hindu Congress.' Was Gandhiji's congress unreliable and Hindu in character? Is the existence of to day's India dependent on Pakistan? On pages 444/45, alluding that the Boundary Commission was not impartial, he even supports the criticism that Mountbatten influenced Radcliffe to award Ferozepur to India! Without Ferozepur we cannot connect to J&K. I think such a person should contest in Pakistan and not in India!
I agree with Yadav's preference for a presidential candidate with a political background.In a coalition government era, it is always preferable to have a veteran, clean, balanced politician with a good knowledge of the Constitution and working of the parliament as the President.Mr.Pranab Mukerjee fits the bill well. He is sure to receive support from all the major parties including BJP. Congress should not delay the announcement of his candidature.
Congress is in power in two and BJP in three populous States.That makes the position of the Congress precarious.The recent by-election in Andhra Pradesh will have a vital bearing on the Presidential elections.A repeat of 1969 when 'conscience vote' was the keyword will place Congress in proper perspective.Will the major opposition party field its own candidate or simply settle for a Vice-President seat to one of its partymen is to be seen. Let the scenario unfold itself.
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