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Wednesday,
June 19, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Shekhawat may succeed Kant New Delhi, June 18 It is particularly so with the din on the presidential election having died down coupled with the discernible lowering of temperature in Indo-Pak relations. Simultaneously, there is hushed talk in the corridors of power of those in contention for the post of the Vice-President which falls vacant in August. After much heat was generated internally on the BJP-led NDA’s nominee for the high office of President, the issue was settled by zeroing in on Dr Kalam, compelling the Congress to extend support and bringing about a split in the Opposition’s Third Front. There is unabashed glee in the BJP camp at having triumphed in the first round concerning the presidential stakes despite serious division about the initial choice of their nominee. That puts paid to the glimmering hopes of Mr Krishan Kant in continuing to head a high constitutional office. Even Andhra It is in this context that Mr Vajpayee’s assertion of delinking the election to the office of President and that of Vice-President assumes importance. With the outcome of the presidential election now a foregone conclusion against the Left’s choice of Capt Lakshmi Sahgal, the NDA
conglomerate can ensure a comfortable win for its nominee in the election for the office of Vice-President. Despite its blow hot, blow cold policy on certain national issues, the Telugu Desam Party extending support to the Vajpayee government from outside has not been found wanting in crunch situations. And now the BJP-led NDA also has the support of the BSP and J. Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK. Unlike the election for the office of President, the electoral college for the Vice-President is confined to the two Houses of Parliament — the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The BJP-led NDA has a comfortable majority when it comes to the combined strength of the two Houses of Parliament. This was evidenced during the joint sitting of Parliament when the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Bill was adopted. The combined sitting of Parliament was specially convened to pass the Bill as it had fallen through in the Rajya Sabha initially because the NDA lacked majority in the House of Elders. Considering his proximity to Mr Vajpayee, veteran BJP leader and three times Chief Minister of Rajasthan Bhairon Singh Shekhawat appears to be the frontrunner for the post of Vice-President. Mr Shekhawat has not denied that he has received feelers in this regard from the top BJP leadership. He has received the backing of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar. Mr Shekhawat has observed that he has no enemies and enjoys a wide circle of friends in the political firmament. He has also stressed that he will “follow the diktat of the party.” |
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Mamata may be inducted New Delhi, June 18 The reshuffle exercise could be undertaken either this month-end or early next month, but well before the Monsoon session begins. In all, seven members are likely to be inducted, including reinduction of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and reshuffle of ministries of at least four ministers.
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Kalam enters poll fray
New Delhi, June 18 Accompanied by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Telugu Desam Party chief and Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Dr Kalam, attired in a light blue shirt and dark blue trousers, reached the chamber of Rajya Sabha Secretary-General and Returning Officer R.C. Tripathi at 11.45 a.m. where Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi was waiting thus hopefully auguring the phase of consensus. Mr Vajpayee handed over the first set of nomination papers. It had Home Minister L.K. Advani, TDP supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu, Samajwadi Party President Mulayam Singh Yadav, BSP leader Mayawati, AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam, Samata Party leader and Defence Minister George Fernandes and DMK leader Murasoli Maran, Shiv Sena leader Suresh Prabhu, BJD chief Naveen Patnaik and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee among the 60 proposers and equal number of seconders. Three Chief Ministers Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh, Mayawati of Uttar Paradesh and Naveen Patnaik of Orissa were also present at the chamber of the Rajya Sabha Secretary General. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan said the first page of the nomination carried 23 signatures which included all NDA and other non-Congress supporters. Congress President Sonia Gandhi filed the second set of papers on behalf of her party. Those who signed these papers included Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabah Deputy Speaker P.M. Sayeed, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptullah, Mr Arjun Singh, Mr Natwar Singh, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, Mr Shivraj V. Patil and Congress spokesman S. Jaipal Reddy. As per the election rules, a nomination paper must be proposed by at least 50 members and 50 seconders, belonging to the electoral college comprising the members of Parliament and Legislative Assemblies. Dr Kalam’s nomination is the first filed on behalf of any political party. The only other candidate of some consequence, Capt Lakshmi Sahgal, being fielded by the Left parties is expected to file her nominations on June 21. There was a slight delay in filing of the papers as Dr Kalam insisted on withdrawing Rs 15,000 from his bank account to pay for the security deposit for the election. Sources said Dr Kalam preferred to pay his own money rather than accept it from anyone else. In a lighter vein, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan told newspersons that had he paid the money, the media would have made much out of it. The press conference by Dr Kalam scheduled for after the filing of nominations was postponed till tomorrow to the dismay of host of mediapersons who had gathered well in advance. The Congress spokesman said his party filed a separate set of papers as “we have taken a positive decision favouring Dr Kalam independently as a party. Therefore, we have signed the nomination separately”. Mr Reddy said the nomination papers filed by the Congress on behalf of Dr Kalam carried more than 120 signatures. After reaching Parliament House, Dr Kalam went to the Prime Minister’s Office from where he was taken in a procession to the Returning Officer’s chamber as news lensmen jostled with one another for a vantage position to photograph Dr Kalam who is all set to become the next President. Earlier, Dr Kalam had a meeting with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu here this morning. Dr Kalam spent half-an-hour with Mr Naidu who was believed to have played a significant role in his nomination as NDA candidate. Dr Kalam, whose name is synonymous with India’s technological development in missiles, rockets, battle tanks and light combat aircraft, had a rousing welcome as he landed here from Chennai, accompanied by Mr
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