No clear frontrunner in race for Prez

New Delhi: As consultations on the presidential candidate have gained momentum, no frontrunner has emerged for the post so far.

While the BJP has begun lobbying for Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat after Atal Behari Vajpayee made it clear that he is not at all keen on taking up the post, the Congress appeared to have zeroed down on Pranab Mukherjee and Sushil Kumar Shinde.

The Left, which hold the key to UPA's success in the presidential election, however seemed to be pushing for their own candidate. The four Left parties met to discuss the issue on Wednesday, but instead of finalising any name, they set certain criteria which, they said, should be fulfilled by the presidential candidate.

The Left also seems to have gained the support of the Telugu Desam Party after TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu met CPI General Secretary AB Bardhan and expressed his reservation over backing either a BJP or a Congress candidate. This seemed to have tilted the balance in favour of a Left candidate.

BJP chief Rajnath Singh met former prime ministers VP Singh and Chandrashekhar and SP general secretary Amar Singh, seeking their support for Shekhawat's candidature. The BJP, which is seeking a consensus within the NDA over Shekhawat's name, is also reportedly in touch with UP Chief Minister Mayawati in connection with the presidential elections.

The BJP decided in favour of Shekhawat's candidature after Atal Bihari Vajpayee issued a statement, saying he is not interested in running for president. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee had proposed his name on Tuesday at an NDA meeting.

The Left, however, kept its card close to chest by refusing to drop any name as a potential nominee. Leaders of the four Left parties, however, came out with broad criteria for their support — the candidate should have secular credentials, experience in public life and Parliament and one who could ensure balance between the judiciary, Parliament and the executive.

While the parties maintained that no name has been finalised yet, political observers pointed out that their criteria seem to fit Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee. PTI quoted Left sources as saying that they want Congress to decide soon on one of its two candidates, Pranab Mukherjee and Sushil Kumar Shinde, first.

The Left parties also said that the nominee should also be "strongly secular to uphold the secular principles of the Indian state". This now sets the field for a contest for the top post in case of BJP's refusal to withdraw from the race.