A contest appears imminent for the Presidential polls with Congress Working Committee on Monday authorising party chief Sonia Gandhi to decide on the party's nominee for the high office and the NDA not showing any signs of pulling out of the race.A meeting of the apex policy-making body presided by Gandhi which was also attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh authorised her to decide party candidates for the Presidential as well as Vice-Presidential elections.
The authorisation has come at a time when the UPA allies have made it clear that the Presidential candidate should be of the party leading the coalition and it was for the Congress to decide the nominee, whom they will back.
Briefing reporters after the 90-minute meeting, AICC General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said the authorisation to decide the party nominee for the Vice-presidential polls does not necessarily mean that the Vice-President would be from the Congress.
The Vice-Presidential elections are scheduled within a month of that for the President. Incumbent A P J Abdul Kalam is leaving office on July 24 and the schedule for the Presidential elections will be announced 'anytime now'.
Dwivedi brushed aside questions that the CWC decision meant that the ruling alliance has rejected the call for consensus by NDA Chairperson A B Vajpayee on the Presidential elections. Another highlight of the CWC meet was the briefing by Home Minister Shivraj Patil on the situation caused by the Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan.
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