Embarrassed by former President APJ Abdul Kalam’s decision not to contest the Presidential election, the BJP is mulling the option of supporting former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma, whose candidature has been proposed by AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik.
This was the view that emerged at a late night meeting of the BJP core group, which felt that such a move would help build bridges with potential allies ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
However, in the process of expanding its circle of friends, the BJP was ditched by its closest ally, the Shiv Sena, which is all set to back UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee. The Finance Minister, it is learnt, sought Sena chief Balasaheb Thackery’s support earlier in the day.
Besides the Shiv Sena, BJP’s other regional partners like the Janata Dal (U) and the Akali Dal have already expressed their reservations about opposing Mukherjee at the last two NDA meetings.
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