DMK, which had gone all out to promote Pranab Mukherjee as the UPA Presidential candidate, did not play as active a role in seeking a second term for Vice-President Hamid Ansari.
DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Saturday told reporters that his party would go by UPA’s choice, which was always likely to be Mr Ansari. Later in the day, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi made the formal announcement.
The DMK chief admitted he had not proposed any name for the post of Vice-President. This could be a little surprising considering that the DMK always took pride in proclaiming its pro-minorities politics.
Explaining the DMK stand, spokesman TKS Elangovan told DC the party did not campaign for Mr Ansari “because we thought he had already served one term and we were not sure if he wanted a second term”. When he agreed to contest and the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi announced his name, “We fell in line willingly”.
DMK circles felt it would be politically incorrect to campaign for a second term for Mr Ansari when many thought he was expecting elevation as the Rashtrapati.