While the main Opposition BJP is unwilling to reveal its hand on the presidential election before the “three Ms” (Mulayam, Mamata and Mayawati) take a position on it, the BSP is asking why the Congress and the BJP cannot announce a candidate jointly.
The BJP does not want to come into the picture early as it fears the Congress will use it to divide regional players on secular/communal lines. It is therefore waiting for the Left parties and others to take a stand.
Sources in the BJD claim it is not just Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik and Tamil Nadu CM J. Jayalalithaa (AIADMK) who are backing the candidature of former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A. Sangma, but that Bihar CM Nitish Kumar (JD-U) and Gujarat’s Narendra Modi (BJP) are also in favour of his candidacy. “It is perhaps for the first time after Independence that regional leaders have announced a presidential candidate without having the requisite votes to win the election,” a BJD leader said Friday.
BJP insiders admit their leadership is in touch with Ms Jayalalithaa. Some politicians say the announcement of Mr Sangma’s candidature at this juncture is an attempt to put pressure on the Congress to announce its nominee without delay.
However, the Congress and its allies cannot do so as they lack the numbers to win the election without support from other parties (like SP and BSP); therefore the Congress is not in a position to impose its nominee on others this time.
The NCP disapproved of the candidacy of Mr Sangma, saying it will remain with the UPA. Mr Sangma said NCP president Sharad Pawar told him when they met Friday morning that his party was part of the UPA and his stand on the presidential election will be that of the UPA. But Mr Pawar also said the NCP would discuss all suggestions by Mr Sangma. Mr Sangma explained he was part of a forum that was pushing for a tribal leader.