New Delhi: The NDA on Saturday said no consensus was possible on UPA's presidential nominee Pratibha Patil and announced that Bhairon Singh Shekhawat will contest the election against Patil as an Independent candidate.
And even as the chances of a contest for the top post of the country became clear, the Third Front dropped hints that they may also "choose a nominee" of their own, raising possibilities of a three-cornered contest in the Presidential election.
The NDA claimed Pratibha Patil was not a natural choice of the ruling coalition. "Pratibha Patil is UPA's choice under compulsion. She is not a natural choice,” senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj told a press conference.
"No consensus is possible on UPA's presidential candidate, because the very basis of nomination for the Presidential election is not correct. For the Congress, loyalty to the Gandhi family has been the main condition for the nomination while for the Left, the criteria has been the survival of the UPA," she said.
Sushma announced that Vice-President Shekhawat will indeed contest the Presidential election. “But he will be an independent candidate,” she said.
Pratibha Patil, who landed in New Delhi on Saturday, said she is going to meet Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat soon. She, however, didn’t disclose the objective of the meeting. Patil is going to step down as Rajasthan governor in a day or two.
Even as a contest for the Prez poll became imminent, the rival formations of UPA and NDA stepped up their campaign in an effort to consolidate the support base in favour of their respective candidates.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met SP leader Amar Singh in an apparent bid to mobilise the support for the UPA-Left nominee Pratibha Patil. But the Samajwadi Party remained non-committal on the issue.
After a half-hour meeting with the Prime Minister, Amar Singh said there was no discussion between them on the Presidential election. He said the Prime Minister had, however, spoken to Mulayam Singh Yadav, seeking SP's support for Patil.
He said individual opinion (of Third Front parties) has no meaning and that a decision on the election would be taken in Chennai on Monday. "The decision will be collective," he said.
The Samajwadi Party, sources told CNN-IBN, is not inclined to support Shekhawat for presidency as it feels that the current Vice-President is not a wing candidate. The Samajwadi Party will request all the fronts — including the TDP and AIADMK — to think of a third candidate.
The AIADMK, which is hosting a meeting of the leaders of the Third Front in Chennai on Sunday, also hinted that the Front may "choose a nominee" for the Presidential election.
The UPA has also specifically deputed Congress leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi to meet non-UPA partners from June 18 onwards and try and consolidate more votes in favour of Pratibha Patil.
On the rival front, NDA convener George Fernandes met some other SP leaders, including Mulayam Singh Yadav, and he is believed to have lobbied support for Shekhawat.
The NDA camp received a shot in the arm on Friday when former prime minister Chandra Shekhar threw his weight behind Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. The ex-PM also issued a written appeal, endorsing the Shekhawat's candidature for presidentship.
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