PM wants NDA to support UPA’s candidate

In the run-up to presidential elections, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today expressed hope that the BJP and other NDA constituents would return the courtesy that Congress had extended in the last presidential polls and come forward for a consensus on a UPA-Left candidate. He also indicated that a Cabinet reshuffle would happen after the presidential polls.
Making it clear that the next President would be a candidate of the ruling alliance, Singh responding to questions, said: “There should be consensus in the favour of the UPA-Left candidate. After all, last time we agreed on a consensus for Dr Kalam. I hope this time the NDA endorses the UPA candidate.”
Singh, who will look to initiate talks with various parties once the candidate is decided, also expressed confidence that the next President would be supported by both the UPA and Left. He, however, said the candidate had not been decided and would be made public after the elections are formally announced.
“There is a 15-day period after the elections are announced when the nominations are made. You will hear about our candidate then,” he said. Asked about the reshuffle, he said, “We will have one (reshuffle), but just let the presidential elections get over.”
Currently, Home Minister Shivraj Patil is the frontrunner from the Congress though the Left is still to endorse him. The Left is more comfortable with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and, in fact, had pushed for his name but the Congress made the argument that he was indispensable to the functioning of the Government. While there were questions over the NCP not supporting Patil, sources said these fears were overstretched as the NCP would support the Congress candidate in this case.
Even on the issue of cross-voting, the logic in the Congress camp is that any MP deciding to do so would have to take into account that the person would be voting in favour of an early election.
Singh was confident that despite moves for a third front candidate, there was no threat to a UPA-Left nominee. “The next President will be the nominee of the UPA-Left alliance.”