VP poll: NDA nominee Jaswant Singh to contest Hamid Ansari

The BJP-led opposition coalition, which was split over the Presidential poll with allies JD(U) and Shiv Sena breaking ranks, today unanimously named 74-year-old Singh as its candidate.

As things stand, Ansari has a definite edge with the pledged support of at least 438 votes in an electoral college of 790 MPs, much above the required number of 396.

Singh, former Finance and External Affairs Minister, has the committed support of 186 votes in the electoral college which comprises 545 members of Lok Sabha and 245 members of Rajya Sabha.

NDA decided to field Singh at a meeting which was attended by JD(U) Chief Sharad Yadav, who had earlier skipped such a meeting to decide the candidate for President's post.

"Sharad Yadav's name had come up in the public domain as a possible candidate for Vice President. Sushma Swaraj had talked to him day before yesterday and requested him to consider. But he said his nature does not permit as today he is engaged in active politics freely and this post will hamper it," L K Advani, NDA Working President, told reporters here.

"We have decided not to give them (Congress-led UPA) a walkover... We have unanimously decided that Jaswant Singh will be the NDA candidate in the Vice Presidential poll," he said.

Ansari, who was named as the UPA candidate last week, is set to create history by becoming only the second Indian after S Radhakrishnan to get two consecutive terms as Vice President.

Except for Trinamool Congress with 28 MPs, all the constituents of UPA are solidly behind Ansari. Trinamool is yet to make up its mind.

Ansari also has the support of UPA's outside supporters Samajwadi Party and BSP besides CPI(M) and Forward Bloc.

Refusing to concede that he was fighting a losing battle, Singh said, "I don't reject the importance of numbers...(But) wait and watch... It is not simply a game of arithmetic." (MORE)