Contest between ruling, oppn for Prez polls inevitable: NDA

New Delhi, June 14 (UNI) With the announcement of Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil as UPA's Presidential nominee, the feeling within the NDA is that a contest between the ruling and Opposition candidates was inevitable.

Top NDA sources said even after NDA chairman Atal Bihari Vajpayee favoured choosing the next President through consensus, there was no ''formal or informal effort'' on the part of UPA to try for a consensus.

The NDA has not declared its candidate yet and the UPA has gone ahead with its declaration assuming Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat as the nominee.

''This being the case I see the contest inevitable,'' an NDA leader who met Mr Vajpayee after the announcement told UNI.

Replying to a question he said, last time the Left parties had fielded Capt Lakshmi Sehgal for the top-most job of the country. If Congress was so much concerned about electing India's first woman President, they could have supported the Left's candidate, he said.

Janata Dal (United) President Sharad Yadav described UPA's decision as 'unilateral' and the NDA would take a view on June 18, when it is scheduled to meet under the Chairmanship of Mr Vajpayee.

Articulating his views after Ms Patil's announcement BJP Parliamentary Party Spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said, Ms Patil was not the first choice of the NDA but unfortunately the ''last choice'' that too when Congress President's nominee Shivraj Patil could not gain the acceptance of UPA allies.

Just before the official announcement, Leader of the Opposition L K Advani said in Pune there was absolutely no consensus among the UPA on its choice for President and so far a dozen probable Presidential nominees have cropped up. ''What kind of situation is this,'' he asked.

UNI