NDA yet to zero on names for Prez, Vice Prez polls

As speculation about candidates for Presidential poll intensified after Election Commission announcing July 19 as the poll date, NDA convenor Sharad Yadav today said the Opposition alliance 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 Singh's name for Vice President's post.

Singh had yesterday met Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav triggering speculation within the BJP that its leader could be lobbying for the Vice President's office. Yadav, who is the chief of key NDA ally JD-U, also dismissed speculation that his party has indicated its preference amid reports in a section of media that JD-U's first preference is Vice President Hamid Ansari.

"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," Yadav said. He also parried a question on whether JD-U 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. Let the proposal come first, we will think then," Yadav said. 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.