New Delhi: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhawat put to bed the speculation surrounding the upcoming presidential election, saying that he is not in contention for the country’s top post.
“The news about I being a nominee for the upcoming Presidential elections is not true. The report that the media is running is entertainment news,” he said.
On Wednesday, at a felicitation ceremony in Rajwada Palace, the RSS Sarsanghchalak said: “When we joined the Sangh, we closed doors for all other possibilities.
" We work only for the Sangh and the society, and my name would not come up for the President’s post. And even if my name is proposed, I will not accept it,” he said.
Earlier, the Shiv Sena, BJP’s ally at Centre, backed Bhagwat’s name for President . Sena MP and sporkesperson Sanjay Raut said Bhagwat must be be made President if India has to be made a “Hindu Rashtra”.
“It is the highest post in the country. Somebody with a clean image should occupy it. We have heard Mohan Bhagwat’s name is being discussed for President.
"If India has to be made a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, Bhagwat will be a good choice for President. But the decision (to support his candidature) will be taken by Uddhavji,” Raut had said.
The Presidential election will be held later this year. After its historic win in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is comfortably placed to push someone of its choice for President.
Sena, which voted against the BJP’s choice in the past, extending support to the BJP in this election is being seen as the party returning the favour to the saffron outfit for giving up the Mayor post in Mumbai.
Main opposition party, the Congress, immediately made it clear that it would block any move to make Mr Bhagwat President. "It is very clear that we do not support RSS ideology," Congress spokesperson Gaurav Gogoi said.
The Congress has said it will hold discussions internally to name a candidate for Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mr Gogoi did not comment when asked whether the Congress could work on a consensus with the government to pick the next President without a contest.
President Pranab Mukherjee's five-year term ends on July 24 this year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a dinner tonight for all members of Parliament from the BJP's allies to discuss the National Democratic Alliance or NDA's candidate for President.
The President of India is elected by an electoral college made up of the 776 members of both houses of Parliament and 4,120 state legislators. The total strength of the electoral college is 10,98,882 votes and the halfway mark is 5,49,442 votes.
After its wins in this month's assembly elections, especially the mammoth win in Uttar Pradesh, the NDA is now short of only about 25,000 votes and parties like the Biju Janata Dal and the AIADMK, which have in the past provided such support, can easily help bridge that deficit
