Congress veteran Motilal Vora likely to be next President, says website

Amid speculations about who will be the next President of India, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, have reportedly zeroed in on Congress veteran Motilal Vora.

New Delhi, May 26 : Amid speculations about who will be the next President of India, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, have reportedly zeroed in on Congress veteran Motilal Vora.

According to the website politicsparty.com, this decision was taken during a meeting between Mayawati and Sonia Gandhi on Friday evening.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo has reportedly promised her party's support to the Congress in the upcoming Presidential polls. Earlier, she had declined to comment on the BSP's preference.

Sonia Gandhi is trying to arrive at a consensus on the UPA nominee for President, politicsparty.com said.

Vora, who hails from Chhattisgarh, is currently the treasurer of the Congress Party. He was elected to the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha in 1972. On March 13, 1985, he was appointed Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.

In April 1988, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha. He was appointed Governor of Uttar Pradesh on May 26, 1993 and held that office till May 3, 1996.

The term of incumbent President A.P.J Abdul Kalam ends on July 24. So far, the outgoing President has not shown direct willingness for a second term.

Former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee, who has been authorised by the NDA to name the Opposition's candidate for the presidential election, has ruled out backing Kalam for second term.

Vajpayee's disclosure was the first official admission by the NDA on Kalam, and favoured another candidate - possibly Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, whose candidature is yet to be officially announced.

Kalam was chosen by consensus when the NDA mooted his name in 2002.

The President is elected by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both houses of the Parliament and the State Legislative Assemblies.

Voting takes place by secret ballot and uses the Single Transferable Vote method of proportional representation.

ANI