The cat is finally out of the bag. Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies have decided to put up a firm bid to get Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat elected as the next President of India.
A formal decision in this regard will be taken after the Uttar Pradesh elections.
Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha told rediff.com that the numbers were in favour of Shekhawat.
"He will not only put up a firm bid but win the contest as well," the former external affairs minister said.
Though Shekhawat has not officially commented upon his candidature, he has dropped enough hints to indicate that he is very much in the reckoning. He has been in touch with leaders of various political parties.
Shekhawat's close friends in the BJP and Rajasthan politics are holding closed-door sessions about adopting a strategy that would ensure his victory.
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, whose name has been thrown in the ring by the Left parties, had admitted on Thursday that it would be a great honour for anyone to be elected as the first servant of the country.
However, in the same breath, Chatterjee said he had not spoken to anyone about his candidature so far.
"No we have not given it a thought so far," said a senior Congress functionary when asked if the United Progressive Alliance government will back Chatterjee's candidature.
Both Shekhawat and Chatterjee do not want the race for presidency to become a cricket match between the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, where victory for one would mean loss of prestige for the other House.
Numbers do not favour either Chatterjee or Shekhawat. The combined strength of the UPA is little over 3.5 lakh votes while the National Democratic Alliance is behind it by just 30,000 votes. The greater share of votes, totalling over 3 lakh, lies outside.
"Whoever taps these votes will be the next President," Sinha said, acknowledging the skills of Shekhawat as an administrator and his political acumen.
© 2026