Who Will Be India's Next President?

Who Will Be India's Next President?

9 June 2012:Congress President Sonia Gandhi, is authorised by the party's Working Committee to pick the candidate, is likely to make the announcement around mid June just a couple of days after the expected poll notification by the Election Commission. Significantly, Sonia's Political Advisor Ahmed Patel  meeting with Mukherjee at his North Block office  is seen as big event for occasion.Congress sounded bell for the support of key allies like DMK, NCP, RLD, give government outside supporters like Samajwadi Party.Rashtriya Lok Dal  chief with charge of  Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Wednesday described  Mukherjee as a "qualified" candidate for the post of President but said his views on others were equally positive. "The Finance Minister is qualified for President. My views are positive on him, but my views are positive on others as well", Singh said.BSP, another outside supporter, and UPA's second largest constituent Trinamool Congress, are not not expected to oppose the UPA candidate.Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has reportedly struck a deal with the Congress and agreed to back UPA-II's Presidential candidate.The sources said though Mamata Banerjee had taken the name Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and a couple of others as her favourite, PA Sangma, who has been named by AIADMK and BJD as their candidate, met BJP leader LK Advani on Friday to seek NDA's support for him. Sangma is hoping to become the first tribal leader to hold the nation's top office.
Congress dismal show in recent state elections ensure regional parties hold the key to who will be India's 13th president.President Pratibha Patil steps down this July and with neither the UPA ruling conglomerate  nor the NDA the opposition consoritum having the numbers to push through their candidate, all options are open right now.
The list of probables to the coveted post  are Sam Pitroda, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Congressman Karan Singh, former speaker Somnath Chatterjee and Nationalist Congress party leader P.A. Sangma. To continue the list  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Samajwadi Party's Mulayam Singh Yadav and Janata Dal-United's Sharad Yadav.

Hamid Ansari, a career diplomat, was most obvious choice.His chances are feeble and lost some of his clout after his infamous adjournment of the Rajya Sabha during the Lokpal debate that earned him the opposition ire.
  Manmohan Singh. Congress president Sonia Gandhi has always insisted there is no question of replacing him as prime minister. And Pranab Mukherjee. He remains the principal trouble-shooter for the party could be contender for President of Congress Party.
Congress-led United Progressive Alliance holds 40 percent of the votes and the Bharatiya Janata Party  has 30 percent in the Electoral College that consists of members of parliament and the state legislatures.
Gopal Krishna Gandhi  name for possible candidate. He being Mahatma Gandhi's  grandson help clear several hurdles for him.  He may come out as the choice of Mamata Banerjee. Gopal enjoys good equations with CMs Naveen Patnaik, Nitish Kumar and J Jayalalithaa.
The President of India is key to apex appointments for the nation is a key of governance in tight control.To keep the democratic institutions work for democracy norms presidential nomination is very critical in coalition government.Congress and BJP ruling in more than half of the states of India the role of regional parties, Samajvadi Party,ruling in Uttar Pradesh, BSP,the Main Opposition party in UP, AIADMKin Tamil Nadu , BJD in Orissa , TDP in Andhra  and JD(S) in Bihar  TMC in Bengal cannot be ignored thus coming together of these regional  parties  in consolidated or splinter may give nod to the presidential candidates.
Antony meets Karuna on Prez poll and to report to Sonia

Official media reports Congress leader and Defence Minister A K Antony on Sunday met DMK chief M Karunanidhi as part of consultation process among UPA allies on the Presidential election to arrive at a consensus leader to succeed incumbent Pratibha Patil, who is retiring on 25th July.

After more than an hour-long meeting, Antony told reporters that he would convey the DMK leader's views on the issue to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

"It was a very, very fruitful meeting. I will report to the Congress President whatever he said", he told reporters, refusing to disclose details about his discussion.

Observing that Gandhi had asked him to meet the DMK chief to discuss about the "present political situation", he said "What we discussed, I will convey to the Congress President".

He said Karunanidhi is one of the senior most leaders in the country and "we always value his advice".Antony's meeting with Karunanidhi comes close on the heels of Agriculture Minister and NCP leader Sharad Pawar's consultation with the Congress President a few days ago.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi will meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on May 3.The Trinamool Congress chief will the be the third UPA ally Congress,discussing with on the issue after NCP chief Sharad Pawar and DMK supremo M Karunanidhi.
Left parties to meet on May 4 to decide on the strategy for the coming Presidential elections, CPI National Secretary D Raja said today.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today met Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi. Both the leaders are believed to have discussed the coming Presidential election. Speaking to reporters later, Mamta Banerjee declined to divulge the details of their discussion.

Earlier in the day, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav refused to express his opinion on probable candidates for the forthcoming election to the country's highest office. Yadav, hoever, said President should always be a political person.

CPI(M) today asked the Congress to take the initiative in building a consensus on the candidate for the Presidential election . Party MP and politburo member Sitaram Yechury said the Left parties will discuss the Presidential Election issue at their meeting tomorrow.


Congress president Sonia Gandhi held discussions on the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament House this morning in which Mr. Mukherjee also joined.Asked about “confusion” over names of Presidential candidates, Ms. Gandhi told reporters, “There is no confusion. Be patient, still there is time.”
 Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury  suggest that Mr. Mukherjee was too “valued” to the party and the government to be spared for the President’s post.This encouraged a  prompt from Ms. Banerjee to remark that Congress has announced that Mr. Mukherjee is not its candidate.
However, the Congress clarified that no name has been finalised and Mr. Mukherjee is not ruled out of the race though he is important for the party, government and the country.
Samajwadi chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, whom Ms. Banerjee met, broke his silence saying the Presidential candidate should be “political”.
 Left parties, who were the key players in Mr. Ansari becoming the Vice President in 2007, again indicated that they were averse to either him or Mr. Mukherjee.
To a question on the Left’s stand on probable candidates like Mr. Ansari and Mr. Mukherjee, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury said if the Congress narrowed down its choice to these two names, then the Left would like to see on whose name there is consensus.
“That is the best approach. As far as Ansari is concerned, the Left had proposed his name for Vice Presidentship last time. As far as Mukherjee is concerned, the name was doing rounds last time also and we said we have no objection,” he said.z;Report 4May 2012AIADMK All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Saturday said her party was yet to decide on the ensuing presidential polls and nobody had approached her so far on the issue.May5