Bjp Keeps Options Open On Presidential Election

The BJP has decided to keep its options open till the last minute to extract a good bargain in the presidential and vice-presidential elections. The party is targeting the vice-presidents post in the bargain.

Senior BJP leaders have informally decided to make Rajya Sabha opposition leader Sikander Bakht its candidate for the post of vice-president.

The party has adopted a clear posture on the two elections after its central parliamentary boards meeting at Bhopal on Thursday. It may decide to force a contest as it did last time when it sponsored the candidature of GG Swell for the presidentship.

The viewpoint that it should avoid a contest in the two elections even if it is not included by other political parties in a consensus move, has been relegated to the background for the moment. We may contest if others try to keep the BJP out of the consensus, general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu said yesterday.

 

Senior leaders at the Bhopal meeting contended that the BJP should not submit meekly if other parties slight the party. They were unhappy that the United Front government or the Congress has not approached the party yet. A senior leader said: BJP cannot be taken for granted.

The BJP has about 29 per cent votes in the electoral college for the presidential election, and needs another 15 per cent to win in the event of a contest, he pointed out, claiming that the issue was wide open for BJP.

In the partys assessment, there are many hurdles in the way of K R Narayanan becoming the President.

It was doubtful whether Congress president Sitaram Kesri would sponsor Narayanans candidature in the first place, another BJP leader said, adding that Kesri may well support incumbent President Shankar Dayal Sharma for a second term.

Karnataka Chief Minsiter J H Patels recent letter to Prime Minsiter I K Gujral soliciting his support for former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowdas elevation to the top slot has also encouraged the BJP to think that the UF may not be able to arrive at a consensus on Narayanan.