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Third Front leaders meet Vajpayee New Delhi, June 20 It was apparent that Kalam has serious misgivings in acquiesing to the pleas of the third front or the UNPA of contesting for the country's highest constitutional office in the prevailing circumstances. At the same time the outgoing President wants to be convinced that his win will be a certainty which provided just that flicker of hope to the UNPA leaders to try afresh building a non-existent consensus in the political spectrum. Leaders of the UNPA comprising TDP's N Chandrababu Naidu, SP's Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh, INLD's Om Prakash Chautala, MDMK leader Vaiko and AIADMK leaders representing J Jayalalitha pleaded with Kalam not to throw in the towel in national interest assuring him that they were not politicising the issue. On his part, Kalam is believed to have spoken about the love and affection showered on him by the people at large. Aware of the virtual futility of their excercise at this late stage of restarting a fresh round of discussions with the NDA, the Left parties and others of bridging the widening political gap on Kalam's candidature for a second term as President, Chandrababu Naidu and company bashed on regardless with the Congress-led UPA, the Left and the BSP speeding up the preparation of the nomination papers of their nominee and Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Devisingh Patil which is expected to be filed on Saturday. The last minute dropping out of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalitha due to sudden illness from the UNPA delegation which called on Kalam was self-explanatory. She was convinced that Kalam is unlikely to change his mind of bidding adieu to Rashtrapati Bhawan and returning to his first love academics. Nevertheless, Chandrababu Naidu is once again taking the lead in political gamesmanship seeking to make a last-ditch effort for evolving wider backing for Kalam in the political firmament. The UNPA leaders met former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee this evening in their effort to build a consensus on Kalam on the ground that if there is popular vote then the incumbent President is the obvious choice of the people. Vajpayee told them that he would be speaking to Shekhawat and then get back tomorrow.Naidu told mediapersons that they were in the capital to build a consensus or see how Kalam's win could be a certainty, if he contested. The UNPA wants to speak to all leaders of the political parties and groups in Parliament and outside, including the partners of the UPA. Naidu said they spoke to UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi over the telephone and she informed them that they have already announced their candidate for the President. When they said they'd like to meet her, she informed them she would not have anything different to tell them if they met in person. Naidu said they had lined up a whole lot of meetings tomorrow with Left leaders Prakash Karat and A B Bardhan, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief M Karunanidhi and UP Chief Minister Mayawati. They also hoped to meet Railway minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. Earlier, as a first step after meeting Kalam, Naidu made a laboured and last-ditch appeal on behalf of the UNPA to the UPA, the NDA and other parties to support Kalam for a second term in office. Clearly, the TDP leader is taking a long shot that some cracks develop in the ranks of the UPA and its allies. Even the NDA is firmly behind vice-president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and observed it would support Kalam if there was a national consensus. The Shiv Sena, an ally of the NDA, is opposed to Kalam's candidature and is not averse to Maharashtrian Pratibha Devisingh Patil. However, the Shiv Sena is yet to decide whether to back Patil or Shekhawat.
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