The speculation in political circles over the election of the next President and vice-president of India, that is around a year and a half away, appears to have got a fresh impetus after the recent 75th birthday celebrations of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, that drew a galaxy of leaders from across the political spectrum.
While the ruling party usually gets both posts due to its numerical strength in the two Houses of Parliament and its capacity to manage numbers in state legislatures (for the President’s post), this time the game could be slightly different as the national parties will have to depend on the regional parties for support. This is because the BJP is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha and doesn’t have a majority in the legislatures of key states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and even Maharashtra, where it is sharing power with the Shiv Sena, whose stand in earlier presidential elections has been unpredictable. The Sena had in fact supported UPA-backed candidates Pranab Mukherjee and Pratibha Patil for the President’s post in the past two elections and not NDA-supported nominees.
Mr Pawar had earlier said that he cannot become President as his Nationalist Congress Party was a small outfit and lacked the numbers at the national level. But if he manages to win support from the regional parties, and given that he has friends in all parties, the Congress will not be able to afford opposing him. A section of MPs also feel Mr Pawar could well become a consensus candidate for vice-president given his wide acceptability to the BJP, Congress and regional parties.
Sources said that in the coming election regional parties like AIADMK, Trinamul Congress, BJD, JD(U), RJD, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena, NCP, BSP, AAP and others could play a decisive role and, along with the Congress, bargain hard for either post.
The BJP, for its part, would obviously like to have its own nominees in the two posts. Some time ago Union minister Nitin Gadkari had suggested the name of veteran saffron leader L.K. Advani for President, but a confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi felt “age is a major factor”.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s name ia also doing the rounds in BJP circles. The RSS has so far kept silent on the subject.
The Prime Minister would obviously like to have a President he will be comfortable, but the nominee will also have to be acceptable to the BJP’s current and prospective allies.
Earlier, during the Atal Behari Vajpayee government, the BJP managed to get heavyweight leader Bhairon Singh Shekhawat elected vice-president, but could not get the presidency due to Congress opposition to its nominee P.C. Alexander. But it later compelled the Congress to back Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (in 2002), whose name was said to be suggested by Samajwadi chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The election of the President and vice-president is due in 2017 (June and July). President Pranab Mukherjee’s term ends on July 25, 2017, while that of vice-president Hamid Ansari ends in August 2017.
