Narayanan is the front-runner for the Presidency
George Iype in New Delhi
Vice-President Kocheril Raman Narayanan has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed President Shankar Dayal Sharma on July 24. There is now a broad consensus of opinion among the three major political groupings — the Congress, United Front and Bharatiya Janata Party—on his elevation to the Presidency.
In the electorate for the Presidential poll, the 13-party UF commands the support of 35.47 per cent members of Parliament and legislative assemblies, while the Congress's share is 25.16 per cent. The BJP and its allies have 30.52 per cent of the vote while Independents have 8.85 per cent of the vote.
The support of any two major groups can ensure victory for the Presidential candidate. But what gives credence to Narayanan's promotion as President is BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee's recent statement that his party will not put up any candidate for the Presidency.
Thus, the onus of electing the new President rests entirely with the UF and Congress. But
the BJP is hoping its decision not to field a candidate will allow the party to bargain for the
vice-president's post.
"We will not insist on an election for the President's post if a clear consensus emerges on an acceptable candidate," BJP ideologue K R Malkani said, stating that the party is "not averse to the idea of supporting Narayanan as he has good credentials."
However, Malkani told Rediff On The NeT that a final decision on Narayanan will be taken after the BJP parliamentary board and executive meeting later this month.
The BJP, he said, will also begin discussions with other political parties to understand their views on a common Presidential candidate.
The BJP leader indicated that his party is seriously considering putting up a candidate for the vice-president's post. The BJP's vice-presidential candidate is said to be Sikandar Bakht, the party's vice-president.
Political observers say the UF and Congress might find it difficult to oppose Narayanan's candidature as he belongs to the scheduled caste community. Moreover, convention has it that the vice-president succeeds the President. There is another argument that since Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral is from north India, the President should hail from south India.
Congress and UF leaders have not seriously discussed the issue as they are mired in bitter feuds unleashed by the ongoing organisational elections. What has happened so far is that while senior Janata Dal leader and federal Railways Minister Ram Vilas Paswan backed a resolution supporting Narayanan's candidature, the SC-ST Parliamentary Forum has virtually opposed the move to elevate the 76-year-old vice-president to the country's top post.
A resolution passed by the Forum headed by Congress leader G Venkatswamy has stated that the next President should be 'a political sufferer or a freedom fighter.'
"This is a ploy to sabotage Narayanan's chances and we will not allow that to happen," a Paswan aide said, adding that JD leader and former prime minister V P Singh is also eager that Narayanan is elected President.
Many believe that when the Congress and UF leaders apply their minds to the Presidential poll later this month, the fight will be for the vice-president's post, and not for that of the President.
So far only former chief election commissioner T N Seshan and Mahatma Gandhi's grand-daughter Sumitra Gandhi-Kulkarni have announced their decision to contest the Presidential poll. But no political party appears to be in a mood to back Seshan. And when Kulkarni met BJP chief L K Advani to seek the party's support for her candidature, his advice to her summed up the feelings of all political parties: "Sentiments and cold political logic are two different things."
There are a number of aspirants who are queuing up for the vice-president's post. They include former Union minister Karan Singh, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptullah apart from the BJP's Bakht.
President Sharma has been silent on the issue of his re-election, although a couple of Congress leaders led by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh have said he -- Dr Sharma is a native of MP -- should be given a second term. But neither the
BJP nor the UF-Congress is said be interested in granting Dr Sharma a second term.
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