Shekhawat to take on Pratibha Patil in Presidential poll

New Delhi, Jun 18 (UNI) It will be a battle royal between two Shekhawats for the race for the Presidentship post with the Opposition National Democratic Alliance today formally announcing its support for Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat as a ''non-party and independent'' for the coveted post.

The formal announcement of the NDA will see Vice President, considered as a tallest Rajasthan leader clashing swords with UPA nominee and Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil, who is of Mahrashtra origin but married to Dr Devi Singh Shekhawat, Rajasthan resident, who migrated to Maharashtra.

Announcing the NDA's decision, its Chairman and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said that the NDA was of the ''unanimous view'' that Mr Shekhawat was the best and appropriate choice as a non-party and independent candidate for the high office.

''He combines a life time experience of dedicated public service with rare qualities of head and heart. A public figure of eminence, high repute, unmatched credentials, Mr Shekhwat has discharged his latest responsibilities as the country's Vice President and Chairman of Rajya Sabha, entirely beyond party affiliations with impeccable secular credentials'', senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who is assisting Mr Vajpayee in the Presidential poll, said.

Convinced of this, the NDA is unanimously of the view that Mr Shekhawat, as the non-party and independent candidate, would be the most appropriate choice. In light of this, the NDA wholeheartedly support Mr Shekhawat, as an independent candidate for the high office of President of India, he added. "Mr Shekhwat's victory is definite", the the NDA press release said after the meeting.

Although Shiv Sena was represented at the NDA meeting by former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi the party's is expected to be made by Sena Chief Bal Thackeray on the occasion of foundation day of Shiv Sena tomorrow at Mumbai.

NDA Convenor George Fernandes, answering queries, expressed the hope that Mr Shekhwat would surmount the challenge posed by the NDA as electoral arithmatic is always dynamic and not static. "We know where we stand and where others are placed", he remarked.

About the UPA putting up Mrs Patil as the first woman President, he said she was the ''last choice having least value' among the UPA candidates considered''. The NDA will go ahead and do the campaigning for Mr Shekhwat, he said.

Asked if the NDA would be appealing to the 'conscience vote' like in the days of contest between Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy and V V Giri when the Congress was split vertically into two groups, Mr Fernandes, a traditional anti-Congress leader, said there is no need for any such appeal. "We have enough of this (conscience)", he said.

The NDA managers, who were to hold a news conference at noon after the meeting, have now withheld the formal news conference until 1500 hours because of incessant rains.

In the run up to presidential poll, it was Mr Vajpayee who first spoke of the need to choose the next President through consensus. However as events have shown, there was no takers for his call and the UPA preferred to inform him about their's choice after was made Mr Vajpayee turned down their appeal to support Mrs Patil, noting to, had come too late in the day.

Mr Shekhawat, on paper has an uphill task as the number of parties supporting his rival is too high. However his own past record of securing votes of 74 MPs of non-NDA votes in the Vice Presidential polls 5 year back should give sleepless nights to the UPA poll managers.

UNI