Presidential poll: BJP reaches out to Opposition, but consensus unlikely

The chances of finding a consensus candidate for the post of President seem to be low, as the Opposition dubbed the BJP’s moved to hold discussions on the matter as a “PR exercise.”

Senior BJP leaders and Cabinet Ministers Rajnath Singh and Venkaiah Naidu met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury here on Friday. The Opposition camp said the Ministers did not share any names with them.

The Congress said it expected the BJP to come up with one or more names for President, so that it could take a call on whether or not to support the candidate.

“But nothing of that sort happened. The BJP leaders did not propose any name and instead asked us the names,” Opposition leader in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said after the meeting.

The indication from the Opposition side is that there will be a candidate against the BJP’s nominee.

The Left is trying to put pressure on the Congress and other Opposition parties to field a candidate as there could be a “political fight” in the poll. At a recent meeting of Opposition parties, the CPI(M) and RJD said the fight should be seen as an ideological one against the BJP.

The BJP is not ready to open its cards, as it is closely watching the Opposition’s moves.

“No name came up from the government side, and they said they have not yet decided on one. Whenever they decide on the name, they will seek our cooperation and come back. Till then there is no question of discussion or support,” Azad added.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge was more forthright. He said there is no question of consensus as there are no names to discuss. “Since they have not given names, there is no question of consensus. If they give the names, only then can we discuss them,” he said.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury told Rajnath and Venkaiah the BJP’s point is that the Opposition should agree to a consensus because the 2014 general election’s mandate was for that party.

However, the NDA got only 39 per cent of votes and the majority of the people voted for the Opposition, he pointed out. “So the mandate is for the Opposition,” he said.

Yechury also reminded them that except for one occasion — when Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was named President in 1977 — the post was always decided after a contest.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Yechury said the BJP leaders’ move was “more like a PR exercise”. “They did not propose any name,” he said, adding that the Left has been insisting on a person with “impeccable secular credentials” for the top post.

“They told us they want our support. We said fine, tell us the bases for the support, who is the candidate. But that they did not convey...they will take some time to do that.”