Move over Pranab, SP wants Quraishi as President

A month before SY Quraishi retires as the Chief Election Commissioner, talks have began on his next appointment. If the vibes from political circles are to be believed, Quraishi may emerge one of the strongest contenders for the ‘highest office’. Speculations are rife that the Samajwadi Party (SP) will propose Quraishi as its presidential candidate. Initially, the SP was to propose the name of its founder leader Mulayam Singh Yadav but the party also sees him as a potential prime ministerial candidate post the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. [caption id=“attachment_310212” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The SP is leaning towards current Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi. PTI”] [/caption] The SP is yet to make a formal announcement in connection with their candidate for the President’s post. Talking to Firstpost, SP leader Kamal Farooqi did not rule out Quraishi as the party’s choice as the presidential candidate. “We are considering Quraishi-saab and others. But it will take time before we come with one name,” he said. More than the consent of Opposition- the BJP- what matters in the current presidential election is the stand of the regional parties, which have been holding the government to ransom on various issues. And if we go by numbers- all MPs and MLAs in proportion to the state’s population- the UPA will be in the minority, unless they have the support of SP and Bahujan Samaj Party. Quraishi has an impeccable record as a career bureaucrat. Former director-general of Doordarshan and project director with National Aids Control Organisation, he was Congress’ choice to head the Election Commission. He did more than a decent job and EC was in news for all the right reasons. Even the opposition hailed his efforts in countermanding Jharkhand Rajya Sabha elections after allegations of money being used to buy votes. So far, no political party, national or regional, has expressed reservation about his way of functioning or his personality. Moreover, Quraishi is a Muslim. By and large, the presidential elections have been en exercise in appeasing minorities. Evidence? The country’s last three presidents have been a Dalit (KR Narayanan), a Muslim (Dr APJ Abdul Kalam) and a woman (Pratibha Patil). The idea of a Muslim president is in line with SP ideology and has the support of UPA ally DMK. Even non-UPA parties including BSP, Telugu Desam Party, Rashtriya Janta Dal and Janta Dal (united) would perhaps be glad to back a Muslim candidate as it serves their regional interests as well. Presently, there are two nominees from the UPA, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Vice- President Hamid Ansari. The former is a known political trouble-shooter and the Congress is unlikely to let him relocate to Raisina Hill, at least not presently when the government is caught in a quagmire.  UPA-ally Trinamool Congress will go to any extent to oppose Anasri’s name as he is believed to have been a CPM nominee in 2007. Also, both these names have been opposed by the BJP. However, Quraishi comes with no such baggage. But will he make it? Watch this space.