Even as Janata Dal-United backed Pranab Mukherjee's candidature for the President's post, party chief Sharad Yadav denied any rift in the National Democratic Alliance, saying that the JD-U's support was for the next President and not for the United Progressive Alliance.
He also said the fact that nobody from JD-U or Left parties was present when Mukherjee filed his nomination made it clear that there was "no divide in NDA or Left" while parties may have decided differently on the issue of Presidential election.
"Our support for UPA's Presidential nominee is not support to the UPA or its policies. We are against UPA's policies, which have pushed the country to the brink of ruin. There is no divide in the Opposition on this main issue," Yadav, who also NDA Convernor, said.
The JD-U chief also pointed to two previous Bharat bandhs on the issue of petrol price hikes this year and in 2010 in which parties
from the Left and the Right had organised protests on the same day. Yadav was a key force behind the Opposition unity during those bandhs.
The UPA was keen that some representative from the JD-U and Communist Party of India-Marxist also attend the nomination filing by 77-year-old Mukherjee.
A number of ministers had also urged Yadav in particular to be present during the event. CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat was also requested to attend it. "It was a tactical absence to clear the misgivings that there is any cosying up to Congress or UPA by us," an Opposition leader said.
While the JD-U and the Shiv Sena from the NDA camp have supported Mukherjee with the BJP and Akali Dal choosing to back P A Sangma, division over the issue were also apparent in the Left.
The CPI-M and Forward Bloc have decided to back Mukherjee's candidature while the CPI and the Revolutionary Socialist Party have decided to abstain.