Narayanan's election as President certain

The election of Vice-President K R Narayanan as India's next President seems certain with the Bharatiya Janata Party deciding to support his candidature.

The party's parliamentary board took this decision hours after Narayanan filed his nomination on Friday as a common candidate of the United Front and the Congress.

The vice-president will now face a symbolic fight from former chief election commissioner T N Seshan, who is being backed by the Shiv Sena and some independents.

Though 17 other candidates have submitted nominations for the post, their nominations are certain to be rejected as they do not fulfil the required conditions like 50 proposers and 50 seconders.

The vice-president filed two sets of nomination papers before Chief Returning Officer S Gopalan in the latter's chamber in Parliament House at 1205 hours.

''I am very happy to be nominated to the post of President,'' Narayanan said. Talking to mediapersons outside the CRO's office after filing the nomination, Narayanan said, ''I am obliged for being nominated by the United Front and the Congress.''

Narayanan's name was proposed by Prime Minister I K Gujral, Congress president Sitaram Kesri and a host of ministers and leaders of various constituents of the front.

He was escorted to the CRO's chamber by Gujral, Kesri and several ministers besides senior Congress leaders.

The nomination filed on behalf of the Congress contains 53 names of proposers and an equal number of seconders. Congress sources said another set of nomination will be filed on Monday.

United Front sources said its nomination contains 60 proposers and an equal number of seconders. The requisite deposit of Rs 15,000 was also handed over.

The BJP's decision on the issue was telephonically conveyed to Narayanan by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, leader of the Opposition. Narayanan sought the BJP's support on Tuesday. BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan told journalists in Delhi, ''He would have been the party's choice even if he had not not been a dalit.''

As for the Shiv Sena's decision to support Seshan in the Presidential poll, Mahajan said the Sena had not consulted the BJP in this regard. He said the decision would not affect relations between the two ruling partners in Maharashtra.

In another development, the Akali Dal (Badal) has decided to support Narayanan in the Presidential election. The decision was taken at a political affairs committee meeting of the party presided over by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in Chandigarh on Friday. The PAC felt it should support Narayanan's candidature as the Akali Dal (B) had always supported dalits and weaker sections.

UNI