05-15-2007, 12:18 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Cong on tenterhooks, awaits Maya's response </b>
Yogesh Vajpeyi | New Delhi
BSP supremo may prefer a Brahmin
The Congress and the Left parties are anxiously waiting for BSP supreme Mayawati to open her cards before announcing the UPA's candidate for the presidential elections.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>The initial signals from the BSP-- indicating that she would prefer the next President to be a Brahmin-- have forced the Congress to review its wish list.</span> <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
If Uttar Pradesh's Dalit Chief Minister makes this a pre-condition for her support, the <b>Congress might agree to drop Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde</b>, who was emerging as front runner, and opt for <b>External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee,</b> sources said.
The name of former Uttarakhand Chief Minister ND Tewari has also entered the list of probable candidates "This might fall in line with Mayawati's new love for Brahmins," Â <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> said a senior AICC functionary.
The party had floated the names of Shinde Mukherjee and Rajya Sabha member Karan Singh during the discussions the Left leaders had with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week.
The Congress, which has the primary responsibility for forging a consensus within the UPA and its supporters on the presidential nominee, has begun the process of consultations, mostly at an informal level. <b>As the party is keen to have its own nominee as the next President, it has to find a candidate who will be acceptable to the UPA partners, the Left and the BSP</b>.
After the first round of discussions with the Congress top brass, the Left parties are meeting on Wednesday to evolve a common approach. After this they are scheduled to have another round with the Congress leaders
Though the Left parties are unlikely to push for having a nominee from their ranks, they have already indicated the attributes they were looking for in the prospective candidate.
After his meeting with Sonia Gandhi on Saturday CPM leader Sitaram Yechury had made it clear that the candidate should be a secular personality with thorough knowledge of the working of the Constitution and should be able to garner the maximum support. The Left parties have also indicated their preference for a political person for the top post.
Congress sources said it was only after a consensus with the Left parties that a meeting of other UPA constituents would be formally called.
<b>Reports that the NDA planned to field Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat has caused some anxiety in the Congress circles. "We will have to take ensure that there is no cross voting from within our camp as the Vice-President has a fan following cutting across party lines,"</b> admitted a Congress leader. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yogesh Vajpeyi | New Delhi
BSP supremo may prefer a Brahmin
The Congress and the Left parties are anxiously waiting for BSP supreme Mayawati to open her cards before announcing the UPA's candidate for the presidential elections.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>The initial signals from the BSP-- indicating that she would prefer the next President to be a Brahmin-- have forced the Congress to review its wish list.</span> <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> If Uttar Pradesh's Dalit Chief Minister makes this a pre-condition for her support, the <b>Congress might agree to drop Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde</b>, who was emerging as front runner, and opt for <b>External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee,</b> sources said.
The name of former Uttarakhand Chief Minister ND Tewari has also entered the list of probable candidates "This might fall in line with Mayawati's new love for Brahmins," Â <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> said a senior AICC functionary.The party had floated the names of Shinde Mukherjee and Rajya Sabha member Karan Singh during the discussions the Left leaders had with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week.
The Congress, which has the primary responsibility for forging a consensus within the UPA and its supporters on the presidential nominee, has begun the process of consultations, mostly at an informal level. <b>As the party is keen to have its own nominee as the next President, it has to find a candidate who will be acceptable to the UPA partners, the Left and the BSP</b>.
After the first round of discussions with the Congress top brass, the Left parties are meeting on Wednesday to evolve a common approach. After this they are scheduled to have another round with the Congress leaders
Though the Left parties are unlikely to push for having a nominee from their ranks, they have already indicated the attributes they were looking for in the prospective candidate.
After his meeting with Sonia Gandhi on Saturday CPM leader Sitaram Yechury had made it clear that the candidate should be a secular personality with thorough knowledge of the working of the Constitution and should be able to garner the maximum support. The Left parties have also indicated their preference for a political person for the top post.
Congress sources said it was only after a consensus with the Left parties that a meeting of other UPA constituents would be formally called.
<b>Reports that the NDA planned to field Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat has caused some anxiety in the Congress circles. "We will have to take ensure that there is no cross voting from within our camp as the Vice-President has a fan following cutting across party lines,"</b> admitted a Congress leader. <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->