Sonia is scared of Shekhawat's candidature: NDA

New Delhi, June 18 (UNI) Asserting that the NDA completely backed Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's candidature for Presidentship, the BJP-led alliance today said that UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was appealing to parties to support her nominee Pratibha Patil as she was ''scared'' of Mr Shekhawat's stature.

''She knows Pratibha Patil is too small a personality in front of Mr Shekhawat and is making desperate calls to various parties seeking their support for Ms Patil,'' NDA spokesperson Sushma Swaraj told newspersons.

Ms Swaraj cited the call made by Ms Gandhi to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to bolster her claim.

She maintained that Mr Shekhawat, who was contesting as an independent, did not belong to the BJP from where he had resigned before assuming the office of the Vice-President.

In the past five years, he had proved his impeccable and secular credentials, she said.

Ms Swaraj, however, conceded that Shiv Sena representative Manohar Joshi, who attended today's meeting where a resolution was adopted supporting Mr Shekhawat's nomination, conveyed that his party would announce its decision in Mumbai tomorrow.

On her reaction to the decision of the Third Front, christened as the United National Progressive Alliance, to seek a second term for Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, she said even the NDA had wanted President Kalam to continue in the post. ''In fact, a delegation of NDA met him two months ago but he said he would do so only if there was a total consensus on his name. Since he urged us to keep it confidential, we had not revealed it.'' Now that the NDA had decided to field the Vice-President for the coveted post, there was no question of give any credence to the UNPA's appeal.

She maintained that NDA was very confident that Mr Shekhawat would emerge victorious. ''Even the Congress knows it,'' she added.

Asked why she was not in favour of a women assuming the highest seat, Ms Swaraj said the UPA had chosen her out of ''compulsion''.

UNI