Zeenews Bureau
Lucknow: With the race hotting up for the upcoming Presidential Elections, reports said on Wednesday that the Samajwadi Party is pitching for its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav as the next head of state.
If sources are to be believed, SP emissaries have begun lobbying with other parties to seek support for Mulayam.
The SP is banking on two factors to win support for Mulayam: First, the party has maximum votes among the regional parties in the Presidential Polls. Second, it believes most of the other regional and smaller parties would be happy with the idea of having a president from a party other than the Congress and the BJP.
One more thing may go in SP’s favour. In case smaller parties come together and nominate Mulayam for the post, the Congress may also support him considering the fact that the national party does not have required numbers to single-handedly ensure its candidate’s victory.
Another top contender for the post this time is APJ Abdul Kalam, who is likely to seek a re-election. SP’s Shahid Siddiqui has also backed Kalam for presidency but Mulayam chose to tread cautiously on revealing the party’s cards.
“It may be his personal view but the party has not decided yet,” Mulayam said reacting to Siddiqui’s remarks.
Siddiqui too later said his remarks had been “distorted”. “I was asked by the media and I had said that if there is a consensus on Kalam, then we will support him. I have not suggested his name,” he told reporters. “There is no consensus in the party, the party has not taken any decision and the party has not even considered any name,” he added.
