By IANS
New Delhi : President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Wednesday virtually rejected a plea to contest for a second five-year term, saying he will not fight the presidential poll unless all political parties backed him.
Knowing well that the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA), the Left and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were firmly behind their candidate Pratibha Patil, the president made the remarks to a delegation of 'Third Front' leaders.
"Abdul Kalam … is willing to contest for a second term provided there is certainty of support of (all) political parties," Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu told reporters after meeting the president at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Accompanying Naidu were Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, MDMK leader Vaiko and Indian National Lok Dal chief Om Prakash Chautala. The AIADMK was represented by K. Malaisamy, a Rajya Sabha member.
The absence of AIADMK chief and former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalitha, who is supposedly not well, was an indication that the UNPA delegation did not have much hope of persuading Kalam to go for a second term.
Kalam's remarks make it abundantly clear that next month's presidential race will now be between UPA nominee and Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil and National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-supported independent and Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi having already signed the nomination papers of Patil to be filed on Saturday, there appears to be no chance of building a consensus around Kalam.
Even the NDA is firmly behind Shekhawat despite giving some hints that it might root for Kalam if there was a national consensus.
The Shiv Sena, a NDA ally, is opposed to Kalam's candidature but has not declared yet who it will back – Patil or Shekhawat.
The Sena had become critical of Kalam ever since he kept on hold the decision on the hanging of Afzal Guru, who was found guilty for the Indian parliament attack of December 2001.