Is Farooq Abdullah a dark horse in the Presidents race?

At a time when consensus among political parties on the issue of a nominee for the post of the President is unlikely, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah may emerge as a dark horse in the race for the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

New Delhi, June 14 : At a time when consensus among political parties on the issue of a nominee for the post of the President is unlikely, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah may emerge as a dark horse in the race for the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The National Conference president is reportedly enjoying the support of the "fourth front" comprising of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jalaylalitha-led AIADMK, Mulayam Singh's Samajwadi Party, Chandrabau Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, claimed a website.

According politicsparty.com, the Fourth Front is considering fielding its own candidate for the July 19 Presidential elections, and it may announce Abdullah's name on June 18.

"A Kashmiri as next President strengthens India's image worldwide. In peace process with Pakistan, India will gain tremendous advantage," the website said.

The article suggests that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the Congress are unlikely to oppose a Muslim and a Kashmiri candidate.

Election for the post of the next President of the country will take place on July 19. The notification for the election will be issued on June 16. The last date for filing of nominations is June 30. The scrutiny will take place on July 2 and last date of withdrawal will be July 4. The counting of votes will take place on July 21.

The term of office of the present President A P J Abdul Kalam is upto July 24.

The UPA-Left combine needs 549,442 of the total 1.09 million votes to ensure the victory of its nominee in the Presidential polls. The Congress has 285,516 while the share of its allies is 114,647. The Left claims 110,988 votes.

An electoral college of MPs and legislators across the country elect the President. The value of a legislator's vote is decided on the basis of the state's population. An MP's vote value is 708.

ANI