PTI

New Delhi, Jun 19: In yet another turn to the Presidential race, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhwat on Monday night kept his options open saying he would be happy if consensus could be achieved on the candidature of incumbent APJ Abdul Kalam, proposed by the Third front.

“Nothing would give me greater satisfaction than the President (Kalam) so consenting. For this, total unanimity of all parties is an imperative. I would be happy if that were achieved,” he said in a statement hours after the Third Front announced support to Kalam for another term and the BJP-led NDA openly backed Shekhawat for the post.

Sources said that if prospects look bright Kalam might consider contesting the election.

Referring to the Third Front decision, Shekhawat said he found it gratifying that the Third Front has announced its decision to Kalam to consent to be the President for another term.

He said Kalam and he have worked together, as a united team, for the last five years. “No difference of viewpoint of approach has clouded our functioning or relationship,” he said.

“These high offices of the republic are not for political contention or controversy. These are of onerous responsibility, which must be discharged with due seriousness and dignity. I have not been found wanting in this regard for the last 55 years and will not be now found so wanting,” Shekhawat said in his brief statement.

The announcement by the newly-formed front of regional parties including the AIADMK, TDP and the SP, of supporting Kalam appeared to be an attempt to paper over differences within the grouping on support to Shekhawat.

However, a crucial constituent of the NDA, Shiv Sena, caught between its relationship with the BJP and its ideology of favouring Marathis for top posts, reserved its decision on backing Shekhawat.

Putting a brave front in the face of the decision by the non-BJP, non-Congress grouping christened United National Progressive Alliance and Sena’s reticence, the NDA on Monday spoke of conscience vote which it said was sure to carry Shekhawat through the battle for Raisina Hills.

Four days after the UPA-left decided to field Rajasthan governor Pratibha Patil for the election to the high office, opposition NDA as expected put its seal of approval to the candidature of Shekhawat.

Patil is UPA Joke on the Nation

In Chennai, the newly-formed Third Front attacked Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi by saying she was ‘playing a joke on the nation’ by fielding Patil and favoured a second term for Kalam, whom it described as a ‘universally accepted’ leader.

The UPA-left got down to serious business with plans being made for Patil to visit various states as Gandhi reached out to several opposition leaders including Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani in her efforts to evolve a consensus on her candidature.

The NDA, however, saw it as a sign of the Congress becoming ‘panicky’ with BJP leader Sushma Swaraj recalling the elections in 1969 in which Indira Gandhi had given a call for conscience vote.

“She had said vote according to conscience. Congress had started it. It was not cross-voting...Horse-trading and cross-voting are alien to Presidential elections. There are close to 11 lakh voters (value of votes in the electoral college). It is open to all and anybody can approach anyone irrespective of party affiliations,” she said.

The NDA had a cause to worry with Sena leader Manohar Joshi attending the alliance meeting, which decided to back Shekhawat, but reserved the party's decision till tomorrow. The Shiv Sena favours high offices for Maharashtrians.

The Third Front, which named itself as the United National Progressive Alliance, appealed to all political parties to support Kalam and said it would approach the President to seek his consent.

“He is the only candidate acceptable to all. Various surveys conducted showed that 80 to 90 per cent of Indian public preferred to have Kalam as the President. Our decision is only a reflection of the public view,” AIADMK Chief Jayalalithaa said.

Amidst reports that some of the parties in the new alliance could have no objection to supporting Shekhawat as an independent candidate, Jayalalithaa told a questioner that many parties had "reservation" in supporting his candidature.