Prez poll nomination: Kalam to wait and watch

A P J Abdul Kalam, whose name has been floated by Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress as the Presidential candidate, has decided to adopt a wait and watch approach on the issue, which has generated a lot of political heat.

Sources close to the former President said today that he was adopting a "wait and watch" approach on the issue. Kalam has maintained he would agree to enter the fray only if there is consensus on his name.

Kalam, who was the National Democratic Alliance's choice for the President's post in 2002, was also favoured initially by the Bharatiya Janata Party for the top post this time around. NDA had also unsuccessfully pushed for his candidature for a second term in 2007.

Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee stunned Congress on Wednesday by disclosing the names under UPA's consideration -- Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari.

She then teamed up with Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav to float the names of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former President A P J Abdul Kalam and former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and SP supreme Mulayam Singh Yadav had taken Kalam into confidence before naming him as one of the presidential candidates, sources in SP said.