The Hindu : National : Shekhawat banks on ‘conscience’ vote

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Wednesday, Jun 27, 2007
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National

Shekhawat banks on ‘conscience’ vote

Gargi Parsai

Refuses to recognise Pratibha Patil as a ‘Shekhawat’
Declines comment on Shiv Sena’s decision

NEW DELHI: Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat who is contesting as an independent candidate in the Presidential election is banking on MLAs and MPs to vote according to their “conscience”. The National Democratic Alliance, without the Shiv Sena, and the Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party are backing him.

Exuding confidence about winning the election Mr. Shekhawat declined to be drawn into the numbers game and dismissed the charge of promoting cross-voting. “This is not an election contested on a party symbol. No whip can be issued therefore there is no question of cross-voting. It is a secret ballot,” he said adding that voters were free to vote according to their conscience as happened in 1969 when Indira Gandhi called for a conscience-vote for her nominee, V.V. Giri, against the official Congress candidate, Sanjeeva Reddy.

Speaking to media persons, Mr. Shekhawat refrained from commenting on the demand raised on Tuesday by some BJP leaders for the United Progressive Alliance-Left candidate Pratibha Patil to withdraw in view of the allegations made against her. “I will neither say nor hear anything about her,” he said. He also did not comment on the Shiv Sena’s decision to go along with Ms. Patil but said that if they had made unsavoury comments then it is they who would look petty.

Refusing to be intimidated by the odds pitted against him, he said he had spent a life-time fighting elections. He refused to recognise Ms. Patil as a ‘Shekhawat’, asserting that this was not a fight between a Shekhawat and a Shekhawat. “She is a Patil.” Ms. Patil is married to Devi Singh Shekhawat who belongs to the same community as Mr. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.

However, Mr. Shekhawat said he is the proponent of the belief that the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections should be held simultaneously to rid the elections of caste, community and communal politics, as well as of black money.

He said he would soon visit States to campaign. “Sushma Swaraj would know the details,” he said and laughed when asked if she was his election manager. “She is not the election manager but she is managing it.”

To a question on why the NDA did not field him as their candidate, he quipped, “It must have been inconvenient for them.”

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