Reacting to the meeting between Union ministers Rajnath Singh and M Venkaiah Naidu with Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi today, CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that that the BJP reaching out to opposition parties on the presidential election was "more like a PR exercise". Similarly, when it comes to the names of Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi, UP governor Ram Naik, or even Union ministers Thawarchand Gehlot or Sushma Swaraj, other parties believe they are just names for the time being that may or may not emerge as BJP's candidates for the post of either president or vice president. "If they give the names, only then can we discuss them", he said.
However, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who attended the lunch but had also met PM Modi the day before, had suggested that the Government and the opposition could find a consensus candidate.
Asked about the government's efforts to develop a consensus on the presidential candidate, he said there has to be some name (proposed) to arrive at a consensus. "But how can a leader on his own suggest a name when they are not aware about the mind of either the Prime Minister or the BJP president", added the source underlining the dilemma top BJP leaders face. If they give the names, only then can we discuss them.
The other three-member committee, formed to hold parleys with the Opposition and NDA allies, includes information and broadcasting minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, finance minister Arun Jaitely and home minister Rajnath Singh.
The Sena has not voted with the BJP in the last two presidential elections. Naidu has also sought appointments with NCP chief Sharad Pawar and BSP supremo Mayawati.
He said it would be better if the Government also understood the need for unanimity on the issue.
"We told them that we don't want anybody from your hardcore".
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Among those who attended the meeting in Azad's chamber were Yechury, Sharad Yadav, (JD-U), Patel, Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), Mishra, Mallikarjun Kharge (Congress), Derek O'Brien (Trinamool Congress), and R.S. Bharti (DMK).
The name that is being whispered in saffron corridor is that of Dr Narender Jadhav, a Rajya Sabha member and an economist, educationist, public policy expert, professor and writer in English, Marathi and Hindi.
Union minister of state for shipping Pon Radhakrishnan told TOI said the BJP has been calling upon all Tamil Nadu parties to support the BJP in the presidential polls.
"We expected that BJP leaders will come up with some name, one or more, for the post of president of India, so that the Congress party could take a call on that". One name also doing the rounds is that of Vijay Pandurang Bhatkar, current Chancellor of Nalanda University, a technocrat who is considered the father of the Indian Supercomputer and president of the RSS-affiliated Vijnana Bharati, which promotes "swadeshi" science.
In an apparent hint that the ruling BJP at the Centre was inching towards the much awaited decision on its nominee for the Presidential election, the NDA meeting is likely to take place on Monday. "But unfortunately, that has not come", one of the sources said.
BJP's Amit Shah personally met ally and Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai to seek the Sena's support.
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