Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter THE COVETED ROAD TO RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN POLITICAL GAME IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

By Firoz.T.Totanawala

The Bangalore Metro Reporter

THE COVETED ROAD TO RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN 

 POLITICAL GAME IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS 

 From the word go, the Congress has hinted that Pranab Mukherji will be its presidential candidate. The opposition NDA realising its limitations has not thought of putting up its candidate. Mamata Bannerji, who though in UPA, is not inclined to Pranab Mukherji. Along with Mulayam Singh, she floated the name of Dr. Abdul Kalam and the name of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the President post. TN Chief Minister J.Jayalalitha and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik proposed PA. Sangma’s name. Now, PA Sangma who broke away from the NCP, is contesting as an independent. Interestingly, the BJP has declared support to P.A.Sangma. While NDA’s allies JDU and Shiva Sena are backing Pranab, the CPI and RSP have decided to abstain from voting.... 

 The UPA led by Congress, has put up Pranab Mukherjee as its candidate for President’s post and Mamata Bannerji, a partner in UPA has opposed his candidature. Along with Mulayam Singh, she floated three names - Dr.Abdul Kalam, Somanath Chatterji, and even Manmohan Singh. Never in the history of the country, has the name of the PM been proposed to the President Post. It was just Mamata’s ploy for humiliating Manmohan Singh. 

 At the other end, the NDA led by BJP has its own problems. It does not have the numbers and so is not interested in putting up its candidate. When Mamata floated Kalam’s name, the NDA was thinking of backing him as it was NDA which nominated Kalam to the President post in 2002. However, When Kalam withdrew from the race, the BJP and its NDA were back to square one. 

 While UPA and NDA were finalising their strategy, the Tamil Nadu CM J.Jayalalitha and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik floated the name of former Loksabha Speaker P.A.Sangma who is in NCP of Sharad Power. NCP is an ally of Congress both at the State and National level. Infact, Sangma’s daughter Agatha Sangma is a Minister in Manmohan Singh Cabinet. 

NCP rejected Sangma’s request to sponsor him as its candidate. But, Sangma was determined to contest and therefore resigned from NCP and announced his candidature as Independent. He had the assured support of AIADMK of J.Jayalalitha and BJD of Naveen Patnaik, whose vote share do not cross even single digit percentage. By any stretch of imagination, Sangma did not stand even remote chance of a strong contest. 

 The NDA too faced embarrassment from its allies. Its strongest ally, Shiva Sena, and Nitesh Kumar’s JD (U) announced their support for Pranab Mukherji. The NDA at one point of time mulled over not putting up a fight itself. 

 As far as UPA is concerned, except Mamata all other allies stood behind Pranab Mukherji, Mulayam Singh and Mayawathi’s BSP too pledged support to Pranab. Apparently, the road to Rastrapathi Bhavan became easy for Pranab Mukherji. Had NDA put up its candidate and managed its allies and the support of other ‘neutral’ regional parties, the contest would have become real. 

 In the left front also, there were divisions. The CPM was not in favour of backing Pranab, but, the Bengal lobby insisted to back a fellow Bengali. The CPI has thus decided to abstain and so is RSP. Interestingly all the political parties call upon the people to vote in the general elections. And they are also thinking of making a law for compulsory voting. And here, they have decided not to vote! 

 Finally, Sangma entered the fray as an Independent candidate backed by AIADMK and BJP. The BJP which was not prepared to put up a candidate suddenly made a U turn and to everybody’s shock announced its support for Sangma. The BJP’s decision to back Sangma has exposed its political opportunitism. If it wanted to really contest, it would have put up any of its leaders even if it meant defeat. The BJP would have bargained with Congress to get the post of Vice President’s post in lieu of allowing Pranab Mukherji getting elected as the President unanimously. But it chose to adopt a rank outsider who belonged to Congress (NCP), the arch enemy of BJP. As on now, the NDA which is divided over the President election, is not in a position to garner enough support for Sangma through cross voting. 

 It is not in a position to get the support of regional parties. Even in BJP ruled state there is the fear of cross voting. 

 True, neither the Congress nor the BJP have a majority of state government of their respective parties. Regional parties are ruling many a states. The BJP in Odisha, SP in Uttar Pradesh, SAD in Punjab, JDU in Bihar, TMC in West Bengal, AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, CPM in Tripura, JMM in Jharkhand etc. The Congress and BJP are sharing power with regional parties in some states. The UPA and NDA are full of regional parties and both Congress and BJP are numerically larger than their respective allies. 

 The BJP, a national party and the leader of the NDA has belitted itself by not putting its own candidate and adopting a rank outsider as its candidate. It would have gained public esteem had it allowed the unanimous election of President. But it adopted Sangma just for the sake of contest. Contesting for the sake of contest is not a wise political move. 

 All the political parties talk of policy, principles, committment etc. Once they gain or come near power, they forget all their ‘objectives’. The BJP on its part ‘borrowed’ Sangma, despite knowing that Sangma has all along been anti BJP. Similarly, Nitesh Kumar who is sharing power in Bihar with BJP and an ardent Congress enemy now wants to prove his secular credentials, by backing Congress candidate Pranab Mukherji. Similarly, Mamata who grew with Congress and is a party of UPA does not want Pranab Mukherji. SP and BSP, who fought bitterly with each other in UP and with the Congress, also are supporting Pranab Mukherji. 

 To top it all, Sangma, the candidate sponsered by BJP is appealing to the electoral college of MPs, MLAs to vote on their conscious! It has been proved time and again that politician as tribes, except rare exceptions, do not have a conscience of their own. All they do is politics devoid of policy, principles, committments and probity. This is nothing but the politics of absurdities, at its peak. 

That is all.