Hours after the National Democratic Alliance held a press conference to formally announced his candidature for the post of the President, Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat said that he would be happy if a consensus is built around re-electing President A P J Kalam.

"Nothing would give me greater satisfaction than if President Kalam consents to another term. For this, total unanimity of all parties is imperative. I would be happy if that were achieved," he said after the Third Front announced its decision to persuade Kalam for a second term in office.

When contacted for a reaction, a Rashtrapati Bhavan official said that President Kalam has taken note of the developments on the Presidential election but has nothing to say at the moment.

" We have heard about the reactions of the Vice President but we have no comments to offer," the official said.