Prez polls: Pranab best, but Karan,Tiwari favourites

New Delhi, June 3: With the July Presidential poll just a few weeks away,the Congress leadership is still unable to finalise its candidate acceptable who will be to the UPA allies and to the parties supporting the Government from outside.

This is so despite the parties like the Left,the DMK and the BSP,all of whom are having a sizeable number of votes with them for the Presidential election,having given the Congress the go-ahead signal to choose the UPA candidate for election to the country's highest post.

UPA Chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi,whose choice of the candidate would be decisive in the matter,has so far not opened her cards,though she has held several rounds of consultations with her senior party colleagues and advisors.

A senior Congress leader and AICC Secretary told sources that Congress would like to put up a candidate who is acceptable to all the UPA allies,especially the DMK,BSP and the Left parties and that is why it has become an uphill task choosing the candidate." "I think within a week the Congress will finalise its stand,"he said,adding "the numbers are very much in UPA's favour." "The last President being a Dalit,the chances of an upper caste candidate seem to be brighter",the AICC office bearer said."I have the feeling it can be Dr Karan Singh,He may emerge as the dark horse for the simple reason that he comes closest to an apolitical person within the political system." "Since the public opinion is in favour of a non-political person being elected to the highest post,Dr Karan Singh may be found more suitable,"according to the AICC functionary.

The sources insist that the Left have already conveyed to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi about their choice even though the Left leaders have been insisting that no specific names were discussed during their meeting with Ms Gandhi.

In separate interviews to sources, the Left leaders also talked about their opposition to the government's move to allow FDI in multi-brand retail in selected sectors and the necessary steps the Central government and the Rajasthan government should take to contain violence in the state.

CPI(M) veteran and polit bureau member M K Pandhe said, ''Mr Shekhawat cannot be allowed to win. For that the Congress and the UPA will have to field a strong candidate like Mr Mukherjee to take him on and win the most crucial election since the UPA came to power three years back." On the other proposed names, Mr M Pandhe said they might not be that formidable compared to Mr Mukherjee. ''Besides, Mr Shekhawat is expert in garnering votes from within the UPA ranks.

You know it happened when he contested for the post of the Vice President five years back and split as many as 57 votes from the rival camp.'' Endorsing Mr Karunanidhi and Pandhe's viewpoint, CPI National Secretary D Raja said after the Manmohan Singh government assumed power in 2004, this is the most crucial polls. ''The UPA will have to win this. For that the UPA candidate has to be a person with a political background, great integrity, steeped into secular values, know the Constitution of the Republic and can fine balance betwen the executive and judiciary.'' ''There are no two opinions about Mr Mukhrjee being a strong and formidable condidate,'' Mr Raje said.

Expressing similar view, Forward Bloc leader G Devrajan emphasised that compared to all other candidates doing the political rounds in the Congress circles, ''Mr Mukherjee is the most suitable to defeat Mr Shekhawat.'' Mr Devrajan, said the natural choice fell on Mr Mukherjee as seen from the present objective conditions and particularly in an era when coalition politics is going to stay for long in the country and the regional parties are staging comeback on the national political scenario.

On the government's move to allow FDI in the multi- brand retail in selected areas like the household appliances, professional and sports goods, the Left leaders said in one voice that they would oppose any such move as this is fraught with the danger of loss of livelihood of over 40 million petty shopkeepers and traders.

On the Manmohan Singh government's role to contain tension in Rajasthan and its spillover in other parts of the country, they suggested the Centre should hold a dialogue with the political parties, the warring groups and the Rajasthan government to restore peace and order.

UNI

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