Even before talks to find a consensus candidate for the forthcoming Presidential elections in July could be initiated within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), some of its constituents are upset with BJP for making “unilateral statements” without consulting other members of the alliance.
Senior NDA leaders are upset with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, who had said BJP would not support either Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee or Vice-President Hamid Ansari for the top post.
Janata Dal (United) leaders, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, are of the view that Ansari could be one of the probable candidates, because of his stature and also because he is largely acceptable to several like-minded political parties.
“Whatever Sushma Swaraj has said is the opinion of the BJP. This is not our party’s view. Whenever such a discussion takes place within the NDA, JD(U) will express its views. Sushma Swaraj has given the opinion of her party only,” said Sharad Yadav, NDA convener and JD(U) president.
Meanwhile, members of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) believe there could be no better candidate for the post of president than their head and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. They indicated they will propose Badal’s name and would try to build a consensus among other NDA partners.
“Parkash Singh Badal is the most senior leader in Indian politics. He has a good understanding with most of the political parties, and if there is a consensus within NDA, then he should be projected as the candidate for the president’s post,” said a SAD leader.
Akali Dal leaders are unhappy with Swaraj’s statements. “There is no consensus on the name of the next presidential candidate within the BJP. There has been no discussion among the NDA partners. Yet, Sushma Swaraj decided to speak on the issue. We believe it was too early for her to comment on the issue,” said the Akali Dal leader.
