Former president APJ Abdul Kalam whose name was floated by the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Trinamool Congress on Wednesday, has become a serious contender for Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Former president APJ Abdul Kalam whose name was floated by the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Trinamool Congress on Wednesday, has become a serious contender for Rashtrapati Bhavan. Kalam himself gave no indication till Thursday evening that he was ready for a fight. Before giving his nod, he wants to be certain that he would be guaranteed at least 55% to 60% of votes, thereby making his position unassailable.
In 2007, Kalam, whose name had come up for a second consecutive term, had backtracked when he realised that he might not be on the winning side. Kalam is not expected to take on any strong UPA opponent in a tight contest.
It is absolutely clear that neither SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav nor TMC chief Mamata Banerjee consulted Kalam before taking his name. But Kalam was not surprised. Only a few weeks ago, his name had come up for discussion when leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj of the BJP, expressed her preference for India’s missile man.
Even on Thursday, JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav said his party had not decided on Kalam. On the other hand, the Shiromani Akali Dal, another NDA ally, enthusiastically announced its support for the former president.
Even if Banerjee had not discussed his possible nomination with Kalam, there was indication from the Trinamool camp that “a clarion call” for Kalam would help parties submerge their differences and come together to vote for the people’s president. “His stature cannot be compared with that of anybody else being projected at the moment,” said a TMC leader.
The SP, however, caused some confusion by dropping a hint that it would be difficult for the party to be seen to be voting alongside someone who could also turn out to be an NDA candidate. Obviously, it is assuming that the NDA will come forward to back Kalam given the fact that it had stood by the former president during his election in 2002. The SP boasts of its secular credentials and does not want to send any wrong signal to its electorate dominated by Muslims and Yadavs.
The NDA has already begun its discussions with other parties on its presidential candidate with party stalwart LK Advani making use of his presence in Chennai to have a short meeting with AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa. Though neither Advani nor Jayalalithaa refused to divulge anything about their discussions, it was more than apparent that the name of Kalam figured in their talks. After all, there is no point for Jayalalithaa to continue propping up her earlier nominee, PA Sangma, who has almost withdrawn from the race. There is a formal NDA meeting on Friday where Kalam’s name will figure prominently in the discussions.
Arithmetic suggests that with both Mulayam and Trinamool backing him alongside NDA, Kalam has an edge over Mukherjee, but the rapidly changing scenario may subsequently favour the finance minister especially if the SP was to change its mind and go with the UPA. There were indications also from Tamil Nadu that Tamil pride may even force DMK to consider backing Kalam, a son of the soil. So, there is a strong possibility that Kalam will emerge as a tough candidate only if he finally manages support from various quarters across the political spectrum.
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