As race for Raisina hots up, Oppn may seek Sena, Akali Dal backing
Parties also keen to open a channel of communication with Patnaik’s BJD
The NDA is short of around 18,000 votes in the poll. If it can get the entire vote of the AIADMK (59,000 votes) or BJD (32,000 votes), the nominee of the ruling dispensation can sail through. On the other hand, the Opposition (3,92,000 votes) has an uphill task to defeat the NDA candidate.
“Whether we win or lose, we will put up a candidate and try to close the margin as much as possible,” said a Congress strategist.
Top sources in the Opposition camp said if the NDA government proposes the name of President Pranab Mukherjee, who may have a very slim chance for a second term, as the next President, Congress and partners will not oppose it.
“Certainly, being an incumbent president, he will not be inclined to fight an election. But if there is a consensus around his name, it will be a different situation,” said an opposition party leader.
The Congress, on its own, is unlikely to propose his name, said a senior party strategist.
The election has to be held before July 24, when President Mukherjee’s term ends.
Calcutta high court judge Justice CS Karnan ordered issuance of non-bailable warrants (NBWS) against seven judges of the Supreme Court, including the CJI on Tuesday, for not being represented before him, even as the attorney general said he was not sure if the “gentleman” would undergo medical tests as ordered by SC.
Justice Karnan, stating that the top seven judges of the SC have not been represented before him, directed the high court’s registrar general to issue the NBWS to be executed through the director general of police or commissioner of police, New Delhi.
He passed a “suo motu judicial order in the interest of the nation to protect the general public from corruption and unrest”, invoking Article 226 of the Constitution read with Section 482 Criminal Procedure Code.
“Today the accused judges are called absent no representation issue non-bailable warrant against the accused call on 08.05.2017 (sic),” the order signed by Justice Karnan said.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who was arguing in another matter before a bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan, said he was not sure whether Justice Karnan would follow the direction given by a seven-judge bench yesterday to undergo medical check-up regarding his mental health.
The seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar, had taken note of the “tenor” of Justice Karnan’s orders and press briefings and directed his medical check-up by doctors with police support, as the Calcutta HC judge did not appear before it.