President election suspense breathes life into NDA

NEW DELHI: India's principal opposition is back in the hunt, sensing an opportunity in the upcoming presidential polls, which have been thrown wide open by the gaping split between the two biggest constituents of the central government.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance is meeting on Friday amid feverish expectations that Congress, which leads the ruling coalition at the Centre, may find it tough to muster enough support for its nominee.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has not only rejected the two names proposed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi but also proposed her three choices, the first of which - former president APJ Abdul Kalam - happens to be one that is bound to make the NDA happier than the ruling coalition. The second name on Banerjee's list, of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, elicited a strong protest from Congress, while giving the opposition a chance to say that the ruling party's partners had little faith in Singh.

Though the NDA had earlier declared that it would hold its next meeting only after Congress announced its candidate, the meeting on Friday comes two days after Banerjee revealed the two names that the Congress president privately discussed with her.

Senior BJP leader LK Advani on Thursday met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who, along with Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, had earlier mooted the name of Sonia Gandhi-baiter and former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma. "It would be proper if we keep in touch with each other and coordinate our efforts,"
Advani said after the 40-minute meeting, where the two leaders discussed all probables, including Kalam.

"We are conscious of the fact that the Congress party and the UPA government are not able to create a consensus on the issue of president even within their own camp," said Advani, who is expected to return to Delhi for the NDA meeting, which will be held at his residence.

BJP aims to use this opportunity to consolidate NDA, besides ensuring that it is not seen to be backing the UPA candidate. However, even if NDA succeeds in getting together its former constituents, including an isolated Trinamool Congress, the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK and the Patnaik-led BJD, the group will fall short of the majority in the presidential polls by about 4%.

Moreover, BJP cannot afford to take its biggest ally, the Janata Dal (United) for granted. The Bihar-based party has indicated that it may not be averse to supporting the Congress candidate, even as it has been non-committal about supporting Kalam. The NDA will wait for the government to announce its candidate before revealing its stand, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain reiterated.

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