Non-BJP parties seek common candidate for presidential polls

new delhi — The next big face losing (or saving) fight in India is the presidential election coming up in July.

The Indian president is the head of the state, and is elected indirectly by both houses of parliament and representatives of legislative assemblies. The outgoing president, Pranab Mukherjee, belonged to Congress.

Moves are already afoot to find a common candidate for the Congress-led opposition. This is not as easy as it may sound despite the overarching need for the opposition to unite against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Early this week, Bihar Chief minister Nitish Kumar, had an unscheduled meeting with Congress president, Sonia Gandhi in Delhi. The surprise meeting happened at the initiative of the Congress leader.

There had been a rumour that Nitish kumar himself was interested in the post. But Kumar, leader of the Janata Dal (United ), denied any possibility. “I have a whole state to take care of.”

Nitish Kumar has a clean image as a politician in a state given to corruption. Though Kumar is widely regarded as a clean politician, he has been playing fast and loose with the ruling BJP at the Centre.

One reason for this is that he needs the Centre’s support in the development of the state. But his relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always been mercurial.

That he is now ready to throw in his lot with the opposition must help it to shift gear. It’s not clear what made Kumar take this decisive move.

In Delhi, Kumar also met leaders from Communist Party-Marxist (CPM), and other parties as well. The CPM has already discussed the matter and has decided — rather predictably — that they would support a united opposition candidate. Their only condition is that the candidate must be a “secular, democratic person.”

Neither the Communist Party, nor the Congress just now has any names to play the field. What normally happens in a situation like this is that the moment a party proposes a candidate, its bargaining position is weakened as it is seen invested in promoting that particular candidate. At least in the beginning then, most parties play the waiting game, and let the others come up with the names. But with July just round the corner, time may be running out for the opposition.

A source close to Kumar said, “We want a strong option against the NDA (National Democratic Alliance, led by the BJP) candidate. A good fight will unite the opposition further against the BJP.” There are rumours that the Maharashtra strongman, Sharad Pawar (National Congress Party), might be interested in the post. Another leader, from JD(U), Sharad Yadav, is also a possibility.

But the thinking in the Congress circles is that the candidate should be a woman. Prior to Pranab Mukherjee, the Congress candidate, Pratibha Patil, had been the president.

In private, Kumar and the opposition in general are worried the BJP will propose a candidate with strong right wing Hindutva leanings. The RSS (Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh), the parent body of the BJP, has been pressing the Modi government for a presidential candidate from their fold.

What exactly transpired at the meeting between Kumar and Sonia Gandhi at the latter’s residence has been kept under the wraps.

But the fact that the two met over the matter of who would be India’s next president should make July hotter than what the weather would make it.