Leaving the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance and the Trinamool Congress in a fix, the former President, Mr A.P. J. Abdul Kalam, on Monday said he would not contest the Presidential election.
While the NDA has decided to hold a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation, the Congress has started reaching out to the Trinamool Congress again for its support to the United Progressive Alliance candidate, Mr Pranab Mukherjee.
In a statement issued here on Monday, Mr Kalam said he never aspired to serve another term or show interest in contesting the election. He said the Trinamool leader, Ms Mamata Banerjee, and other political parties wanted him to be their candidate, along with many other citizens. “It only reflects their love and affection for me and the aspiration of the people. I am really overwhelmed by this support. This being their wish, I respect it. I want to thank them for the trust they have in me,” he said.
He, however, added that he did not want to contest in the present political situation. “I have considered the totality of the matter and present political situation and decided not to contest the Presidential election 2012,” he said.
Mr Kalam is learnt to have told the NDA working Chairman, Mr L.K Advani, that his conscience did not allow him to contest. The BJP’s core leadership met on Monday night to assess the situation. “The NDA will take an appropriate decision soon,” the party spokesperson, Ms Nirmala Sitharaman, said.
The Congress welcomed Mr Kalam’s decision and began efforts to win back Ms Banerjee’s support. It flayed party General Secretary, Mr Digvijaya Singh, for criticising the West Bengal Chief Minister. In a statement, it said that Mr Singh was not officially authorised to speak on the behalf of the party.