The NDA to be losing hope of giving a tough fight to ruling alliance nominee Pratibha Patil in the prez poll even as she dismissed the charges against her.
NEW DELHI: The opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Friday seemed to be losing hope of giving a tough fight to ruling alliance nominee Pratibha Patil in the presidential poll even as she dismissed the charges against her as attempts to malign her.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led opposition received two major jolts on Friday with the Election Commission declining to act on its demand to make presidential candidates declare their assets, and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav refusing to back Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who is contesting as an independent supported by the NDA.
Meanwhile Patil continued on her election tour to canvass for votes in the southern states, visiting Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh Friday, for the July 19 poll.
Addressing Karnataka legislators in Bangalore, Patil said: "I am aware of my responsibilities. I am deeply conscious of the great honour bestowed on me. I will serve with great humility and a deep sense of gratitude if elected."
The 72-year-old former Rajasthan governor, whose victory is a foregone conclusion, is likely to be the first woman president of the country.
Dismissing the opposition charges against her, Patil said they were attempts to "tarnish" her image.
The opposition has targeted her with a high-pitch campaign over alleged financial improprieties with regard to a bank founded by her and sugar factory owned by her family in the seventies. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-Left-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate has also been accused of shielding her brother in a murder case.
After addressing Karnataka legislators, Patil proceeded to Hyderabad.
Shekhawat's hopes were dashed when Mulayam Singh Yadav told him that his party would not vote in favour of either him or Patil as both Congress and the BJP are "two sides of the same coin".
Another disappointment came as the Shiv Sena, one of the crucial allies in the NDA, also refused to reconsider its decision to back Patil, who belongs to Maharashtra. In a television interview, Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray said his party's decision to support Patil was final.
But the BJP leaders tried to put up a brave face. "We are in touch with the smaller parties including those who are in the UNPA (United National Progressive Alliance, the newly formed third grouping)," said BJP leader Sushma Swaraj.
"The talks are still on," she said.
Party sources indicated that senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh would be flown to Chennai Saturday to seek AIADMK chief J. Jayalalitha's support. AIADMK is a part of the UNPA.
The UNPA had proposed a second tenure for President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, but he had declined it after realising there was no majority for him to win the election.
Although Shekhawat had called for "conscience votes" as he claims a good rapport with leaders cutting across party lines, Patil has the edge in the electoral college of MPs and MLAs.
However, a UPA ally, Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) in Andhra Pradesh, has announced that it would abstain from voting to protest Patil's remarks on 'purdah'. At a function in Udaipur, Patil had said that the 'purdah' was introduced to save women from Muslim invaders.
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