Top BJP ministers in party’s panel on presidential polls

BJP president Amit Shah authorised on Monday three senior ministers to negotiate with political parties a consensus candidate to succeed President Pranab Mukherjee, who demits office on July 24.

Home minister Rajnath Singh, defence minister Arun Jaitley and information and broadcasting minister M Venkaiah Naidu will seek to navigate not only testy ties with the opposition but also some of the government’s own allies to find a common candidate. Should they fail presidential poll will be held on July 17. Nominations for candidates close on June 28.

The president is a largely ceremonial post, but in an increasingly polarised domestic political climate parties are seeking influence over an office that yields power when it comes to close elections or giving assent to controversial legislation.

For the opposition, the presidential elections are also an opportunity to rally a grand coalition of anti-BJP parties in the run up to the 2019 national elections.

There is no clarity on who PM Narendra Modi favours, although sources said his party’s ideological mentor, the RSS has sought to back either party veteran Murli Manohar Joshi or foreign minister Sushma Swaraj for the job. The opposition Congress has already moved to rally support for an anti-BJP candidate.