By Liz Mathew, IANSÂ
New Delhi : After finding a post-retirement residence in the capital for President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the government might soon find itself looking for a house for Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat – a task it will be doing after almost three decades.
His aides insist that Shekhawat, who is contesting the presidential election backed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), will be in Rashtrapati Bhavan. But with the numbers stacked against him that might not be so, and Shekhawat might be house hunting after Aug 19 when his term expires.
"We are confident that we will be moving from 9 Maulana Azad Road to Raisina Hill. So we have not thought about his retirement plans," said K.L. Kochar, a close Shekhawat confidant.
Notwithstanding the confidence, the urban development ministry will in all likelihood be perusing Lutyen's Delhi for a bungalow suitable for the vice president post retirement.
This is a job they haven't done since 1984. Of the four vice presidents since then, three were elevated as president – R. Venkataraman, Shankar Dayal Sharma and K.R. Narayanan – and one, Krishna Kant, died in office.
According to the housing policy, it is incumbent upon the government to get suitable accommodation for the vice president and Rajya Sabha chairman, the second-highest ranking government official after the president, once he retires.
"The housing policy of the urban development ministry has a provision to provide a house for both the president and the vice president once they retire," Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy told IANS.
If he is defeated in the July 19 presidential election, Shekhawat would be the fourth vice president in Indian history not to make it to Rashtrapati Bhavan. The others were G.S. Pathak (1969-74) Basappa Danappa Jatti (1974-79) and Mohammad Hidayatullah (1979-84).