Now Who will be the next President...? Is Pranab Mukherjee or Pratibha Patil

Pranab Mukherjee remains the ever-favourite candidate. Being Bengali, he can even placate the firebrand Mamata Banerjee. However, he remains indispensable for the ruling alliance, the Congress' ace trouble-shooter, second only to the Gandhi Family in the pecking order. His elevation to the highest office of the republic would be a welcome move and it is possible for the UPA to convince the NDA as well, since it is known that Sushma Swaraj and Mr. Mukherjee share a could rapport.

President Pratibha Patil will demit office and the electoral college must elect a replacement before that. With a little over two months left, consultations are in a preliminary phase with all sorts of names coming up. While the BJP appears to have put its weight behind former President Abdul Kalam, that seems highly unlikely since the first UPA Government did not allow him to have another term last time around.

The two frontrunners, so far, are Vice President Hamid Ansari and Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Ansari is a respected citizen, known for his statesman-like stature. Unfortunately, the controversial adjournment of the Rajya Sabha in the middle of the Lokpal Debate wiped some of the sheen off his stature, which is why the main opposition BJP has rejected his candidature. While the UPA could still field him, it would open the floodgates for a contest, something best avoided in a Presidential Election.

One interesting idea that is making the rounds is that an apolitical person should be President. This is unnecessary - for one, the President must have some knowledge of constitutional law and must also know about all parts of the country. A politician fits the bill perfectly. True, a polarizing political figure must not be allowed to ascend Raisina Hill, but a consensus politician is very much possible.

Sadly, disturbingly even, the RJD seems determined to communalize this issue by asking for a Muslim President. The President of the Republic of India should not be determined on the basis of religion, since we are a secular nation. The attempt to communalize this august office by desperate political forces, already rejected by the electorate, must be shunned at all costs.

Article by http://opinions24x7