By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : Â After completion of Presidential election, political parties are getting ready for Vice Presidential election. Among others Hamid Ansari and Mushirul Hasan are among front runners in Vice- President Candidates. Congress and Left are in agreement over putting a minority candidate. On the other hand BJP is opting for Akali leader Charanjit Singh Atwal.
Hamid Ansari, former diplomat, has also served as chairman of the Minorities Commission. Mr. Ansari was Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, High Commissioner to Australia and Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia. He was also the Vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University from May 2000 to March 2002. Before assuming office as NCM chief, he was a member of the National Security Advisory Board.
Mushiral Hasan is a well know academic is the vice-chancellor of Jamia Milia Islamia.
He was Director of the Academy of Third World Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Having lectured widely across the US, Europe, Australia, as well as the subcontinent, Professor Hasan has held professorial fellowships at the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, New Delhi, the Institute of Advanced Studies, Berlin, the Centre of Oriental Studies, Rome, the Centre of Indian Studies at the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme in Paris.
CPM general secretary Prakash Karat and leader in Rajya Sabha Sitaram Yechury met UPA chairperson Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss about candidates and strategy. Sonia Gandhi will talk to other allies to shore up support for most suitable candidate.
UPA is looking for a candidate who can handle Rajya Sabha. It is believed there was agreement that since most senior BJP leaders defeated in last election are in Rajya Sabha, the chairperson should be someone who can handle the volatile house was reported in TOI.