President Poll : Oppositon says, No contest if Modi govt backs Pranab Mukherjee for second term

NEW DELHI: After initial rounds of discussions on the presidential poll, Opposition leaders

have concluded that they will be forced to back off from the resolve to field a joint Opposition candidate only if the government 'persuades' incumbent Pranab Mukherjee for a second term at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, many leaders involved in the deliberations have said. 

 "The onus is entirely on the government to let all know its views on the next President and whether it wants another term for the incumbent President. It has been the tradition for the government to take the initiative on the matter," said a senior leader involved in the Opposition deliberations.

The Opposition camps feel Mukherjee's tenure is rated high widely, especially in upholding the letter and spirit of the Constitution and ensuring his presidency was not marred by controversies, while maintaining a good working relationship with the government and Opposition even though his decisions or statements may not have suited respective political positioning of one side or other at times. 

If the government chooses to persuade him for another term, it will leave the Opposition with no ground to force a contest, as the Opposition's preparation is on the premise that the ruling side will field someone identified with the BJP-RSS, thereby giving the Opposition an opening for forcing a contest on ideological grounds by rallying larger opposition camps. 

NDA has an upper hand in the current electoral college and many names are doing the rounds as potential candidate of both BJP and Opposition, even though nothing has been formally discussed or decided yet.