Thanks but no, thanks, says Kalam, takes hat out of ring

“The President told the delegation (of UNPA leaders which met him today) that after considering their request and reviewing the situation carefully from all angles, he has decided that in the current scenario, he will not be interested in running for the second term as he does not want Rashtrapati Bhavan to become involved in any political process,” Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesman S M Khan said.

Although it called itself a “non-Congress, non-BJP” front, the UNPA got the BJP-led NDA to indicate that it would withdraw its own candidate, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, if Kalam said yes.

However, the Congress was the first to reject Kalam’s candidature for a second term, followed by the Left and then, yesterday, its allies, the RJD and the NCP both said that there was no question of going back on the decision to field former Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil.

“The President also told (the UNPA leaders) that his mission in life is to work for development of the country which he will continue to do wherever he will be,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesman said. “The President also thanked the people of India for the overwhelming love and affection towards him.”

“We have already decided that we will not support both the Congress-UPA supported candidate and the BJP-NDA supported candidate. We will need some time to think about our next step,” ADMK chief J Jayalalithaa told reporters after her meeting with Kalam and later with NDA leaders at former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s house.

The UNPA is now left with only three options: each party going its own way and asking its legislators for a “conscience vote,” abstain, or field another candidate. With a bypoll in Madurai keeping Jayalalithaa busy and the last date of nominations June 30, time is also running out for the UNPA.