| Former President Kalam may return as head of state |
| Last Updated(Beijing Time):2012-04-23 16:32 |
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Speculation is rife that former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam may be back as the country's next head of state when incumbent President Pratibha Patil's tenure ends this July, according to local media.
Three major regional ruling parties -- Samajwadi Party of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, Trinamool Congress of the eastern state of West Bengal and AIADMK of the southern state of Tamil Nadu -- have reached an understanding on supporting Kalam for the top post, local media reported Monday.
Both Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress are the allies of India's ruling Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
Apart from the two major regional allies, another ally of UPA, the National Congress Party (NCP) of the western state of Maharashtra, has also said it wants a non-political person to become the next president.
"In my opinion, a non-political person would be the ideal choice as the next president," NCP chief Sharad Pawar was quoted as saying Sunday.
The Congress, on the other hand, is going to bat for Vice President Hamid Ansari and Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) Speaker Meira Kumar for the candidature. Other names likely to come up in the race to Rashtrapati Bhawan include Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. |
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