Mamata isolated as V-P race begins
The process of political realignment seems to have begun with the Trinamul Congress led by Mamata Banerjee getting isolated in the UPA, while the Janata Dal (U) is moving closer to the Congress. Even the Left can support the Sonia Gandhi-led party to check the BJP and the Trinamul Congress in due course.
This trend is clearly perceptible in the presidential election to be held on July 19 and vice-presidential poll scheduled for August 7.
The Congress’ reported initiative to back the vice-president M. Hamid Ansari for a second term after refusing to support Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former President, for a second term, could send mix signals to political parties.
Congress managers are confident that the UPA, minus the Trinamul, would remain intact and it will get support from the SP, BSP, JD(U), RJD, JD(S), LJP and other smaller parties in the vice-president’s election.
On the other hand, the main Opposition BJP could back Ms Banerjee’s candidates — Gopalkrishna Gandhi or Krishna Bose — if the Trinamul boss manages numbers to defeat the Congress nominee.
Indicting that the BJP is keen to back Ms Banerjee’s nominee, insiders said the BJP’s top brass is expected to meet soon to discuss this issue. If Ms Banerjee has virtually opposed the Congress’ Presidential and vice presidential nominee, the Janata Dal(U) too would support Mr Ansari.
In this situation SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati, AIADMK chief Jayalali-thaa and Ms Banerjee could become “kingmakers” only if the BJP, SAD, Shiv Sena, BJD, TDP support the non-NDA and non-UPA regional players. This realignment could set the tone of the next general election.
The JD (U) cannot afford to oppose Mr Ansari fearing that this would be at an advantage for the RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. He would exploit the issue against the Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar by projecting him as an anti-minority.
The anti-Congress parties like the Biju Janata Dal, the TDP and even the AIADMK have yet to make their stand clear on the vice-president’s election.
Ms Banerjee’s candidates — former governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and Ms Krishna Bose, eminent writer, educationist and former MP, have not received any support so far. Though names of senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh and Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi are doing the rounds as NDA’s likely candidate, the main Opposition alliance does not have the required numbers to get its candidate elected.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena, which broke ranks with NDA and supported UPA’s presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee, has this time assured BJP that it is with the NDA on the V-P polls issue.
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