While Pratibha Patil may have to end her stay at Rashtrapati Bhavan by the end of this month, Vice President Hamid Ansari may get to continue as Vice President for another term with the Congress pushing his candidature and talking to various parties to support him in the upcoming vice-presidential poll.
Ansari, a former diplomat, was initially said to be in the running as the UPA candidate for the presidential poll but lost out to former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. However, the Congress is reportedly keen on him staying on as Vice President and has spoken about him getting a second term with the Left parties, BSP, Samajwadi Party and others, CNN IBN said.
Ansari was initially said to be in the running for the presidential poll. Reuters
The Prime Minister has also already reportedly spoken with the Janata Dal (secular) chief HD Deve Gowda seeking his support for Ansari’s nomination as vice president again, the Hindu reported.
The NDA, which had refused to back Pranab Mukherjee in the presidential poll and decided to back PA Sangma instead, has not said if it will back Ansari or nominate its own candidate for the poll which is scheduled to take place on 7 August.
Senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh or Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal could be nominated for the psot, according to the Hindu report.
Ansari, if nominated and victorious, will be the second vice president to have a second term, the first after Dr S Radhakrishnan.
