The election of the President of India has always been a big event which goes a long way in deciding the political fortunes of different political parties. The importance of the constitutional head has been on the rise over the years as no single party is able to form a Government at the Center on its own. The result is that the President who has to send out the invite to the leader of the largest party or group in Lok Sabha to form the Government has become a matter of do and die for political groups.
In addition to this crucial function, President's office also assumes importance in deciding several legal issues and legislations which require his assent before they become the law of land. In this context it may be mentioned that the election of the President became a crucial issue when there was a split within the Congress Party between what was known as syndicate which controlled the party and Mrs. Indira Gandhi who headed the Government as Prime Minister. This battle royal subsequently led to split and Mrs. Gandhi was able to establish her supremacy over the party and the Government.
The events however took another turn when Mrs. Gandhi and Congress Party led by her was defeated at the polls by Janata Dal which paved the way for return of Mr. N. Sanjiva Reddy who had been defeated in the first attempt for the high office because Mrs. Gandhi chose to oppose him even though she had proposed his name. Mr. Reddy in his second attempt was elected and saw many changes in the Indian Parliamentary scene.
The presidential post again became controversial when Mr. Zail Singh a nominee of the Congress Party and a confidant of Mrs. Indira Gandhi later clashed with Mr. Rajiv Gandhi who was the Prime Minister. At that time rumour mill was working full time with stories floating around that Mr. Singh may dismiss his Prime Minister and install another leader in the office. But this never happened so a constitutional crisis was averted.
The current President was chosen by BJP and its allies but also got the support of the Congress Party. The Left parties, put up a token fight by putting up a hero of the freedom struggle Mrs. Lakshmi Sahgal, who had been a member of Indian National Army raised by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Mr. Kalam in his tenure has won the support of all sections by his conduct and non-partisan attitude. There is lot of support for a second term for him, but Congress Party a dominant party in UPA Government has not spoken its mind so far on the subject.
Interestingly enough even BJP has kept its cards close to its chest as Vice President Mr. Bhairon Singh Sekhavat is an old member of saffron brigade and has a natural claim to the high office of President after having served his term as a deputy. The Left parties are also quiet because they would obviously like Left leaning candidate to occupy Rashtrapati Bhawan and have a candidate also that is Speaker of Lok Sabha Mr. Som Nath Chatterjee.
The lobbying for the office of President is expected to pick up momentum after the elections in Uttar Pradesh Assembly are over. The composition of the Assembly will have important bearing on the outcome of the presidential poll as the members of the Assembly can make big difference in the outcome of the poll. The U. P. elections will also give a clear indication if the Third Front will become a reality in days to come or will remain a dream only.
The results will, also give opportunity for the Left parties to assess their role in future like continuation of support to UPA Government in Delhi or part company. There is no doubt that a realignment of political forces will become an active exercise for all as they will have to prepare for the big poll in 2009 to elect New Lok Saba. The BJP and its reviving NDA which had ruled Delhi for a full term.
In this process the future of political alignments will be decided as the combinations which brought the present Government into power will undergo changes with fortunes of parties going up or down. One can say with certainty that given the present scenario in which both Congress and BJP are in a position to win atleast 100 plus seats their ability to come to power at Centre will depend to a large extent on their ability to pick up allies. These allies can also change with every poll. One can look forward to exciting times as far as political alignments are concerned in months to come as these will indicate how future is going to shape.
