UNPA decides to abstain in a set back for Shekhawat

New Delhi, July 14 (UNI) In what may adversely imapct the prospects of NDA-supported presidential candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, the newly-floated United Progressive Aliance(UNPA), which commands one lakh six thousand votes, today finally decided to abstain from voting in the July 19 polls.

The Alliance, however, decided to put up their own candidate in the election for the post of Vice President.

Stating that its real target was a good peformance in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the UNPA declared that it was equidistant from both the Congress and the BJP.

The Alliance, which includes the SP, AIDMK, TDP, AGP, INLD, MDMK, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha and Kerala Congress(T), had last month unsuccessfully tried to make incumbent Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and other political parties agree to a second term for him.

However, the UNPA initiative had met with rejection by the UPA and NDA, and thereafter the Alliance had announced that they would not support the presidential candidates of the either of the two, but had not clarified whether they could allow their Members to cast their vote on their conscience.

With today's categorical announcement that the UNPA parties will abstain from voting, it was now clear that the decision may benefit UPA candidate Pratibha Patl at the cost of Mr Shekhawat.

Had they allowed voting on conscience, it could have helped Mr Shakhawat against whom the numbers are already not in favour.

''We have taken a conscientious decision to abstain from voting,'' AIADMK supremo and Aliance leader Jayalalithaa said briefing the media after a three-hour long meeting of the UNPA leaders here.

''Abstention was a legally right step,'' she added.

TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu said they were yet to decide the name of their candidate for the vice presidential election.

However, they were not expecting any support either from NDA or the Left.

''We are not expecting to win, but we are fielding our candidate to register our identity,'' Ms Jayalalithaa said replying to the question as to whether they expected any suport for their candidate.

Earlier, political circles were agog with speculations that the UNPA will support a Left candidate for the post of Vice President.

Replying to a question, the AIDMK leader said that they would support a Left candidate ''only if they withdraw from the UPA.'' She was flanked by other leaders like Mr Chandra Babu Naidu of the TDP, Mr Mulayam singh Yafav and Mr Amar Singh of the Samajwadi party, Mr Vaiko of the MDMK, Mr Om Prakash Chautala of the INLD and Mr Vrinda Goswami of the AGP.

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