Prez poll: Third Front gives NDA hope

The National Democratic Alliance, barring the Shiv Sena, on Monday backed Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat for the presidential polls while the Third Front, calling itself the United National Progressive Alliance, plumped for President APJ Abdul Kalam.

Analysts are reading a lot into the UNPA's preference for Kalam.

Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sushma Swaraj said Kalam had already rejected NDA's proposal to contest and wished the UNPA luck in persuading the President. The front leaders would meet Kalam on Wednesday.

The UNPA, while proposing Kalam's name, gave clear signals that if he said no to their proposal, it would vote for Shekhawat.

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Jayalalithaa dismissed the United Progressive Alliance-Left nominee, Pratibha Patil, as a 'joke played on the country by Sonia Gandhi' and maintained that many parties had 'reservations' over supporting Shekhawat.

"We feel there is only one person who is universally acceptable and that is APJ Abdul Kalam," said Jayalalithaa, flanked by the front leaders, Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party and Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party.

According to Swaraj, Kalam told the NDA that he would contest only if the Congress and the Left also back him. "Since that did not happen, the NDA turned to the next in line, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, as an independent candidate endorsed by the NDA," she said.

Sources in the NDA camp are taking heart that the UNPA leaders have been scathing in their criticism of Patil.

"Kalam will refuse to contest with the support of only the Third Front. At this point, since the front has said that it has only Kalam in mind, it will ask its legislators and parliamentarians to vote as they like. Since they are decidedly anti-Congress, Shekhawat may swing a number of Third Front votes his way," said a BJP leader.

Swaraj, on her part, said the differences between the Congress and the UNPA were greater than between the NDA and the UNPA.

"We two feel the same about Kalam and Patil," she said.

Shekhwat, in a statement, said he would be happy if consensus could be reached on Kalam's name.

"For this, total unanimity of all parties is an imperative," he said.

The Congress and the Left dismissed the statement.

"A candidate has been proposed by the UPA. We have to garner support for the UPA candidate," Communist Party of India-M general secretary Prakash Karat said.

Congress spokesman Satyavrat Chaturvedi declined to comment pointing out that Kalam had not made any statement in the matter.