BJP keeps Sangma option open to force contest,PM dials Nitish

According to a tentative plan worked out between BJP leaders and AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa late last night,she will make a fresh statement on the candidature of Sangma. Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik,who first proposed Sangma’s name,could follow suit. The NDA would then tag along.

The BJP leadership is also hopeful of getting Trinamool Congress’s support for the former Lok Sabha Speaker. While Mamata has had some problems with Sangma,who was in her party for a while,BJP leaders think they can bring her around.

As for A P J Abdul Kalam,the BJP is unlikely to go with him as the former president has shown reluctance to contest an election where he is unlikely to win.

Incidentally,NDA partner JD(U) has sought a consensus vote in favour of Mukherjee. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier today called up Bihar Chief Minister and senior JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar to solicit support for the Finance Minister. While NDA convenor and JD(U) president Sharad Yadav refused to say anything ahead of the NDA meeting,its Rajya Sabha MP Shivanand Tewari said Mukherjee should be supported.

However,the BJP seems unlikely to oblige. After the core group meeting at the residence of Nitin Gadkari,party general secretary Ananth Kumar said: “We had discussions on the emerging situation. Gadkari,L K Advani and Sushma Swaraj spoke to various NDA leaders and chief ministers over the phone. The NDA will meet tomorrow to take a final decision.”

BJP leaders pointed out that the Congress had announced its candidate without talking to the Opposition and had suddenly woken up to the merits of a consensus.

Advani in fact told the PM last evening,when he called to seek the BJP’s support for Mukherjee,that his request had come “a little late”. He ought to have consulted the Opposition before finalising the UPA candidate,he said. The PM responded by saying that it was never late to make amends. Advani then said the issue will be decided by the party and NDA.

Another dominant view within the principal opposition party is that it should challenge Mukherjee to avoid being bracketed with Mulayam. This would be consistent with its role in the run-up to the next Lok Sabha polls. This is particularly important,it feels,as three chief ministers from outside the NDA-fold — Jayalalithaa of Tamil Nadu (AIADMK),Naveen Patnaik of Orissa (BJD) and Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal (Trinamool Congress ) — had decided to stand up to the Congress. The BJP doesn’t want to cede the opposition space to them. Besides,this also gives the party the opportunity to widen the NDA umbrella,with an eye on the next Lok Sabha elections.

In the midst of all this,former minister and BJP MP Ram Jethmalani vowed to contest against Mukherjee if no one else was prepared to take him on,to prevent him from getting elected unopposed. Jethmalani told the media that even though Mukherjee was “my friend”,he had to oppose him because he had not disclosed the names of the people who stashed their black money in overseas banks. When asked if he had spoken to his party leadership on the issue,Jethmalani said he had not done so.