Jaswant Singh calls on Mulayam SIngh Yadav
The opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) convenor Sharad Yadav has said the BJP-led NDA has not zeroed on names for the posts of President and Vice President so far.
"People meet each other. We have not decided for any name in any meeting of NDA. Only Jaswant Singh can tell whom did he meet and why did he meet. It is normal. We keep meeting," he said when asked whether NDA could propose Mr Singh's name for Vice President's post.
BJP's Jaswant Singh had yesterday met Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav triggering speculation that he was seeking Samajwadi support for the Vice President's office.
Sharad Yadav, who is also the President Janata Dal-United (JDU), also dismissed reports that his party has indicated its preference for Vice President Hamid Ansari as the next President.
"The NDA has decided that when a proposal comes from the UPA particularly from Sonia Gandhi, we will sit and take stock of it. Let the name first come from UPA. Only then, we will
decide," Mr Yadav said.
He also parried a question on whether JDU will support the candidature of Pranab Mukherjee, widely speculated to be the UPA's choice for the President's post."Has the name of Pranab Mukherjee come from them as yet? Has Sonia Gandhi made any such proposal? Why this kite flying?" Mr Yadav qipped
He also parried a suggestion that Trinamool Congress could prefer former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee for the top constitutional office. "It's not that any one party will be able to decide it... I do not know what her party leader in Bengal said but Mamata Banerjee is meeting Sonia Gandhi here. Let the proposals come from them," he said.