Presidential race: BJP core group to meet, decide future course

The BJP core group will meet this evening to discuss the Presidential election and decide its future course of action in the wake of Congress declaring Pranab Mukherjee as its candidate.

The BJP is expected to finalise its stand in the core group meeting. This will be conveyed to the NDA, which will meet tomorrow.

The scenario changed for the BJP when SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav extended support to Mukherjee. Earlier he had been pitching for APJ Abdul Kalam.

When Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party floated the name of Kalam, BJP saw an opportunity to lend its support to the former President.

According to reports, key NDA ally JD (U) may suggest a consensus on Mukherjee's candidature keeping his stature in mind and also as the opposition lacks the numbers.

The BJP-led NDA meeting yesterday had failed to come up with a candidate.

BJP sources have ruled out any deal with the Congress for the Vice President's post.

Immediately after the announcement of Mukherjee's candidature by Congress President Sonia Gandhi at the UPA meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had reached out to other parties including the BJP to seek support for the senior leader.

He called up BJP leaders L K Advani, Nitin Gadkari and its leaders in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley respectively.

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