Deve Gowda, Kesri clashes cast shadow over Presidential poll

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The ongoing battle between Congress president Sitaram Kesri and Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda may mar the Presidential election, scheduled for July.

The frequent warnings by the Congress leadership to the United Front government and Deve Gowda not to take its support for granted and the UF's apparent efforts to put Kesri in the dock has led to a situation wherein both sides are trying to push forward their respective candidates for the Presidential race.

While Kesri and a section of the Congress leadership favour President Shankar Dayal Sharma's re-election, Deve Gowda and many UF leaders want Vice-President K R Narayanan to succeed Dr Sharma whose five year term expires in July. This is reflected in Tamil Maanila Congress chief G K Moopanar's statement of a few days ago that the vice-president was best suited for the job in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Deve Gowda has enlisted former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao's support for Narayanan's nomination. However, since Narayanan is a dalit with scholarly achievements, Kesri is unable to openly oppose the Veep's candidature.

Compounding the Kesri faction's problems is the fact that no suitable politician from the North has yet emerged in the Presidential contest. Although former prime minister Chandra Shekhar and Karnataka Governor Khursheed Alam Khan's names are being mentioned in this context.