Why should I tell you our Presidential candidate's name, asks Amit Shah

As BJP President Amit Shah celebrates three years of Modi government, the party is confident of another reason to rejoice soon — having its own presidential candidate in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

For Shah, the Modi government's three years in power is apparently a matter of pride for the party, prestige over governance track record and a promise looking ahead at 2019. So focused is he on the celebrations, that the party is not even letting the issue of presidential elections overshadow celebrations which will continue till June 15. Sources said any discussion on the presidential candidate will be held only after that.

"Why should I tell you the name our presidential candidate now?" Shah said when pressed by journalists at a media interaction on Sunday. While the mystery over who the party's presidential candidate would be continues, a senior party leader indicated that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had a surplus of 1,15,720 lakh votes in the electoral college.

Indicating that it had the support of the AIADMK, the leader said the southern party was left with no choice after the Congress invited DMK.

Though the NDA had an edge with the support of partners -- BJP, Shiv Sena, TDP, Akali Dal, LJP and PDP -- besides a dozen other parties, it was still running short by over 11,000 votes to get a majority.

Shah has said that Opposition parties will be consulted at an appropriate time on the issue of presidential candidate.

Shah has taken a week-long break from his 95-day country-wide tour to strengthen the party, particularly in eastern and southern states where the party is yet to have footprint.

On Sunday afternoon, it was Shah's third interaction with the media over the past two days. On Saturday he hosted a lunch with the electronic media and a dinner for analysts.

A 90-minute power point presentation on a giant 40 feet screen by party spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao focused on government's welfare schemes, achievements, policies and decisions, from demonetization to empowering women. The lunch was attended by senior ministers including Rajnath Singh, Venkaiah Naidu, Sushma Swaraj, Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan and Rajyavardhan Rathore besides BJP leaders like Ram Lal, general secretary (organisation) and party MP Meenakshi Lekhi.

Shah, clearly the most sought after leader, interacted with editors and reporters for an overcrowded table. Singh and Swaraj shared a table with another group of journalists. Swaraj, who is recovering from a kidney transplant, took a bite of kesar halwa.

Among the editors and political commentators were Raj Chengappa of the India Today Group, Diwakar of Times of India, Unni Rajan Shankar of Indian Express, columnists Swapan Dasgupta, who is also a Rajya Sabha member and Ashok Malik.