New Delhi: As presidential election is just a month away on July 18, both ruling and Opposition fronts are pulling all stops to find a winsome candidate.
The search has intensified with leaders of the rag-tag of opposition parties meeting and huddling, often throwing up some likely names.
Who will be India's16th President? The question is dangling here, as most poll pandits are unable to give a categorical answer.
It got all confused with TMC leader Mamata Banerjee getting into the driver seat of the Opposition, convening a meeting in Delhi for a joint candidate.
Nearly all leaders across Opposition except for those from AAP, TRS, YSRCP, SAD, and BJD attended the meeting, according to Indian Express.
Mamata Banerjee-led meeting bandied about two names: Gopalakrishna Gandhi ( Mahatma Gandhi's grandson) and former chief minister of Kashmir, Farooq Abdulla.
Of course initially, Sharad Pawar topped the list until the leader openly declined the offer thanking the Opposition parties for their trust in him.
For the ruling NDA the outcome of the poll is a foregone conclusion—yes, it is certain that NDA will win when the result comes out on July 21.
Who will be NDAs' candidate? The NDA camp is not giving away any details.
Only so much can be guessed from BJP's interaction with leaders across parties.
Union minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president JP Nadda talked with the opposition parties for a consensus candidate.
But Mamata the other day took a dig at BJP claiming to introduce somebody capable of protecting the democratic system.
NDA's previous presidential candidates nonplussed the Opposition considering the political mileage they offered to BJP.
In 2002 APJ Abdul Kalam's candidature stumped Congress and regional parties including the Samajwadi Party, according to the Indian Express.
All the parties had to line up to back NDA's choice candidate. But the Left parties tried to turn the tables fielding freedom fighter Lakshmi Sahgal.
The current president Ram Nath Kovind was previously the Bihar Governor and Dalit leader.
He was chosen at a time when the ruling BJP faced criticism over the rampant attack on Dalits in the nation.
With this deft move BJP made inroads into Dalits winning over a large section of voters in the community in the subsequent elections.
According to reports NDAs' likely candidate for the president may be Karnataka Governor and Dalit leader Thawar Chand Gehlot, Telangana Governor Tamilsai Soundararajan and former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan