V P Polls: Main contest among minority candidates for first time

New Delhi, July 23 (UNI) With political parties vying with one another to play their minority card to the full advantage, the nation is witnessing the main contest for the Vice President's post among candidates belonging to the Muslim community for the first time.

After rejecting a second term for Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, and finding his proponents (UNPA) fielding a minority community candidate in the Vice-Presidential polls, the UPA came out with former diplomat Hamid Ansari as their candidate.

The NDA followed soon with the announcement of Dr Najma Heptullah candidature.

UNPA has already fielded Samajwadi MP Rashid Masood for the post.

Moreover, according to political observers, the NDA after opposing Pratibha Patil for the presidential post, also wants to underscore that it was as much for women as the ruling Alliance.

Political observers were expecting that after rejecting the proposal for a second term for Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the UPA led by the Congress with the Left as crucial allies would opt for a minority candidate for Vice-Presidentship.

Besides the newly-launched UNPA, though almost in a disintegrated state, had already taken the lead by picking its candidate from the community.

It was UNPA which had come out with a strong case for a second term for Dr Kalam and made hectic efforts to make the UPA and the NDA agree to the proposal, but without success.

Though NDA leaders yesterday denied that they had chosen Ms Heptullah for the post because of her gender and religion, it is felt in political circles here they did it after the choice of the UPA and the UNPA fell for a minority candidate.

Anyway, the numbers were against them. Senior BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Vijay Kumar Malhotra conceded that the NDA did not have the numbers but the UPA had made no efforts to put up a consensus candidate.

''Such being the case, the NDA, the principal opposition party cannot afford to allow a free run to the UPA nominee,'' they had said, adding that their candidate has been a non-political person and she had conducted the House as Deputy Chairperson in the past with impartiality.

The post of Vice-President has earlier been held by two Muslims-- Dr Zakir Husain, who also later became President of the country, and Justice M Hidayatullah.

Dr Husain was Vice-President from 1962 to 1967 and President from 1967 to 1969, when he died during his tenure.

Dr Hidayatullah was Vice-President from August 1979 to August 1984.

He was also the acting President in 1969 and the second Muslim to hold the post (Dr Zakir Hussain being the first).

After him, Mr Fakhruddin Ali Ahamed became the third Muslim to become President and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam the fourth.

UNI