EDITORIAL: Next Prez: Go for a consensus choice

Who will be the new occupant of the stately Rashtrapathi Bhavan? This query dominates political debates, although most people are resigned to the fact that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) already has a definite answer. The polls are scheduled for July 18.

The new incumbent will be sworn in on July 25. The electoral numbers being heavily stacked in favour of the BJP, there does not seem to be much enthusiasm for a real contest. The Electoral College for the Presidential Poll has 10.86 lakh votes with the BJP commanding 48% of the votes. With regional allies such as AIADMK and a plethora of parties in the eight north-eastern states likely to plump for the BJP’s choice, the victory for the ruling party’s nominee is almost a foregone conclusion. It can even hope to garner support from parties such as Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) to ensure smooth sailing for its candidate.

A contest, even if it happens, will be a mere formality. The Opposition, divided among itself, has just begun its exercise under the stewardship of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. The fact that the initiative to bring around the Opposition parties for a common candidate has not come from the Indian National Congress clearly signals disappearance of the party from the pole position.

However, the party is still a participant in negotiating a common choice among the opposition parties. Curiously, the presence of Congress annoyed the Telangana Rashtriya Samithi which stay away from the confabulations held in New Delhi on June 15. The Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), a party with two members in Lok Sabha, too was not among the participants. Its chief Owaisi stated that the party was not invited. The signal emanating from such fissures within the Opposition are pointers enough to the shaky state of unity within the ranks of the Opposition.

The June 15th meeting in the capital discussed several choices. Maharashtra strongman Sharad Pawar has ruled himself out of the contest. Other names that cropped up were those of former J&K CM Farook Abdullah, former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, veteran Congress parliamentarian Ghulam Nabi Azad and Yashwanth Sinha, a former MP who is now with the Trinamool Congress. Of these, the name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi seems to be finding the maximum traction. He had unsuccessfully contested against Venkaiah Naidu for the vice president’s post during the 2017 election. The BJP has not yet announced its nominee.

Evidently, it is spoiled for a choice. It need not be in a hurry what with all the aces up its sleeves. But the grapevine suggests that several names are doing the rounds. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu is one among them. Some have even pointed at Arif Mohammed Khan, the Kerala Governor. But having been in the wilderness since his exit from the Congress for three decades, he does not measure up to the stature that the office commands. Yet he is not ruled out given the current rage within the Islamic world against the BJP which was caught on the wrong foot in the row over remarks against Prophet Muhammad.

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot too has been lobbying for one of the two top posts. Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan figures among the favoured lot. Names of prominent tribal leaders from Odisha Jual Oram and Draupadi Murmu are also doing the rounds. With the outcome of the contest pretty well known, the ruling party and the Opposition would be well advised to arrive at a consensus choice. What the nation ultimately aspires is to have a dignified individual occupying the seat of Head of the State who could be a guiding figure for a nation of India’s size and diversity