The BJP on Sunday authorised its president J P Nadda and Union minister Rajnath Singh to hold consultations with different political parties, including those in the opposition, on the president's election, in what is being seen as an outreach by the ruling party to arrive at a consensus on the choice for the top constitutional post.
'There was trust, but perhaps there was also this apprehension that given the supreme post of prime minister, Sonia Gandhi felt her authority may be a challenged.'
Rulers in New Delhi and their political aides in sensitive states like Tamil Nadu have to be doubly careful not to provoke a situation whose consequences may be much more than visible now to the naked eye, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Massive security arrangements have been thrown around the Ashok Hotel as many would be attending the dinner party thrown by the UPA president Sonia Gandhi. A waterproof shamiana has been installed at Vajpayee's place on 6 A Krishna Menon Marg.
United Progressive Alliance candidate Pranab Mukherjee is all set to be elected the 14th President of India on Sunday when the counting of votes will take place.
The opposition's presidential poll candidate Yashwant Sinha on Friday revealed that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar refused to take his calls when he tried to seek the latter's support for his candidature.
Tribals constitute 7-8 per cent of the state's population, and are a deciding factor in 47 assembly seats and seven Lok Sabha constituencies spread across the Junglemahal districts of Purulia, Paschim Medinipur, Bankura and Jhargram in southern Bengal and Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar in the north.
Tharoor also said the Congress must decentralise authority and truly empower the grassroots office-bearers of the party.
With the Biju Janata Dal backing the National Democratic Alliance's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu, the vote share of the ruling dispensation has now crossed 50 percent, virtually paving the way for her election as the first tribal President and the youngest too.
Murmu's vote share is now likely to go past 61 per cent, while it was earlier estimated to be around 50 per cent at the time of her nomination.
Sunil Gatade and Venkatesh Kesari reveal that Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's name is now doing the rounds as President Kovind's likely successor.
The "venom" that the Congress leader has been spewing against the prime minister in his "political frustration" has now turned into an insult to the country, Irani alleged.
Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge, a staunch Gandhi family loyalist from Karnataka, has become the Congress' first non-Gandhi president in 24 years.
Trinamool Congress, a major constituent of the United Progressive Alliance, on Monday night decided to support the alliance's vice presidential poll candidate Hamid Ansari but oppose any decision to open the multibrand retail to FDI and bills on forward marketing in commodities and privatisation of pension fund in the monsoon session of Parliament.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist on Thursday termed as "unprecedented" the proposal to make Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a presidential candidate, saying it shows the lack of principles that ties the United Progressive Alliance coalition
"The presidential elections have not been announced yet. There are no candidates. We will decide on whom to support after considering merits and de-merits (of candidates)," Mulayam Yadav said addressing a press conference in New Delhi after the party's parliamentary board meeting
In an apparent U-turn, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi rejected reports that he has threatened a pullout from the United Progressive Alliance government over the recent petrol price hike.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday met senior Congress colleagues, including Pranab Mukherjee, to discuss the Presidential poll issue ahead of the United Progressive Alliance meeting.
Like in the Presidential election, Trinamool Congress, which sought to put a spanner in the UPA choice of Pranab Mukherjee, plans to convey its preference for Gandhi at a meeting of the UPA constituents on the issue on Saturday.
They said the very sanctity of the Constitutional process was being destroyed through the 'smear campaign' against her.
Janata Dal - United chief Sharad Yadav on Friday strongly denied that his party was gravitating towards the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance in the wake of its support to Pranab Mukherjee's Presidential candidature."That is absurd. It has no meaning," he said when asked about perceptions of his party cosying up to the Congress.
In positive signals for the United Progressive Alliance, the Samajwadi Party today said it will not support any National Democratic Alliance Presidential candidate and did not want mid-term elections.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in Delhi on Tuesday night for consultations with United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday on the issue of the Presidential poll nominee of the UPA, amid intense speculation on Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's candidature for the post.
United Progressive Alliance's Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee, the senior-most member of the Congress Working Committee, will be given a farewell by the party's top brass on Monday, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi.
Former Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party official spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain on Sunday said his party would disclose its strategy on Presidential elections only after the ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition announces name of its candidate.
The Sena has repeatedly said that its choice for the the highest office is the RSS chief.
Sources in the Samajwadi Party said that Mulayam Singh Yadav, his cousin and party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav and another senior leader Naresh Aggarwal have held at least five rounds of discussion with Congress leaders
The National Democratic Alliance had offered to extend outside support to the United National Progressive Alliance's prime ministerial candidate in 2007, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jaswant Singh has revealed.The NDA had made the offer to the UNPA during the presidential polls last year, the senior BJP leader told mediapersons in New Delhi on Saturday.The former finance minister also warned that the country was "hurtling towards an economic emergency" under the UPA govt.
Kumar had sought central university status for it in keeping with public sentiments.
The NDA made it clear that this does not mean that Shekhawat had opted out of the race in favour of Kalam.
Against the backdrop of dramatic twists and turns in the Presidential race, key National Democratic Alliance ally Janata Dal-United on Thursday refrained from making its stand clear on the issue saying the United Progressive Alliance should first settle it within itself.
'He always used to say, 'I have taken up this post to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and I will do it during the time I am here'.'
While the Opposition is making a belated effort to form a joint front against the BJP, Mamata's ambiguous stand has created confusion, observes Virendra Kapoor.
As vice president and ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankar is inheriting a troubled legacy. Although the government faces no real numerical challenges in the Upper House, political and legal challenges are there aplenty.
However, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, hosting a meeting of the leaders of the Third Front in Chennai on Sunday, said the Front would 'choose a nominee' for the presidential election.
Emerging from the meeting, Union Minister Harish Rawat told media persons that such meetings are held ahead of every presidential and vice presidential election.
The BJP had come up with a fresh proposal just four days ago to the Samajwadi Party for toppling the Manmohan Singh government and had claimed the backing of Left as also the BSP to the move, SP leader Amar Singh claimed on Sunday.
Union Agriculture Minister and key United Progressive Alliance leader Sharad Pawar on Sunday favoured a non-political candidate as the next President in view of the fact that UPA and National Democratic Alliance did not have the strength to elect their own nominee.
UPA presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee on said a large number of non-UPA parties have extended support to him and this reflects a broad consensus on his candidature for the top Constitutional post.
When elections are held, the composition of the UPA may change, yet the UPA could well emerge as a winner. With such a remarkable electoral success it means that a person who has won three consecutive terms will have to be necessarily be our PM, writes M R Venkatesh
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