Cover Story

OTHER STORIES RELATED TO COVER Simply Profound BJP's Cakewalkers Interview: A.P.J.Abdul Kalam

He's known as the Missile Man and, fittingly enough, his selection last week as the certain President-elect was a bolt from the blue. If politics is the art of the impossible, it will be on display when 70-year-old A.P.J. Abdul Kalam takes over, as he is widely expected to, as the Republic's 12th President. The choice of Kalam caught everyone off balance. The presidential sweepstakes seemed a contest among P.C. Alexander, the original NDA candidate, a second term for incumbent K.R. Narayanan, the Congress favourite, or the elevation of Vice-President Krishan Kant. Kalam's name was not on the radar screen.

A. P. J. ABDUL KALAM

WHAT TIPPED THE SCALES FOR KALAM » Person of undeniable eminence with wide public endorsement. It is almost impossible for political parties to be seen opposing him. » After NDA and N. Chandrababu Naidu locked horns over Vice-President Krishan Kant, Kalam emerged as the consensus candidate. » Nominating a Muslim as president would help restore the credibility of the NDA Government in the wake of the Gujarat riots.

Then, late on June 9, with the presidential issue deadlocked, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee telephoned Kalam in his humble Chennai apartment to offer him the country's highest office. In cricketing terms, the NDA had bowled a googly at the Opposition. The high drama and intrigue preceding Kalam's nomination were almost surreal. Despite the roars of protest from the left parties, the Congress could not object to this name. He was a man of distinction, a member of a minority community and, most important, an icon with the assertive middle classes.

True, Kalam is hardly what Rashtrapati Bhavan is used to. With his unruly shock of hair, his signature sandals, bush shirt and trousers, and an air of a distracted don, he appears the proverbial square peg in a round hole. Yet he showed great acumen and a lot of grace in calling Congress President Sonia Gandhi to thank her for endorsing his candidature, even if very grudgingly.

SURPRISE CHOICE: Kalam will be India's next President

As a consensus candidate Kalam's credentials are impeccable. A Muslim in Rashtrapati Bhavan may be politically correct, but he is seen as a man of honour, besides being one of the great scientific minds of our time. What was jarring was the backstage intrigue.

ACT ONE: ELIMINATION

Vajpayee and his colleagues were desperately searching for a nominee who would suit the NDA bill and enjoy wide political acceptance. Unwittingly, Kalam became the weapon of a devastating political strike. In a matter of six days, Kalam's candidature saw the People's Front breaking up and the Congress sheepishly toeing the great consensus.

By picking a rank outsider, the NDA stymied the Opposition, but not before a drama of bluff, double cross and palace intrigue. When a conclave of senior NDA ministers at Vajpayee's 7 Race Course Road residence agreed on the evening of June 9 that Kalam should be the ruling coalition's nominee, the hunt for the scientist's mobile number began. A joint secretary in the PMO was tasked to trace Kalam. When the architect of India's missile programme graciously accepted Vajpayee's offer, a sense of relief washed over those present at the prime minister's residence.

The game began when Vajpayee ruled out a second term for Narayanan. For the past four years, Narayanan had not exactly endeared himself to the NDA. The prime minister was upset with the President almost since he staked claim in 1998. Narayanan has been periodically raising uncomfortable questions over selection of judges, use of Article 356 and appointment of various constitutional authorities. The President's ideological distaste for the Vajpayee Government was no great secret.

With a bare 55 per cent of the 11 lakh votes with the NDA, the prime minister was not willing to run risks. Yet, both Vajpayee and Home Minister L.K. Advani were clear about their fundamentals-the next president should not be part of either the Left or baptised in Congress culture.

The decision would be taken by a cabal which comprised, besides Vajpayee, Advani, Defence Minister and NDA Convener George Fernandes, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan and Rural Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu. When the group first met on June 5, the shortlist included K.C. Pant, L.M. Singhvi, Kalam and Viren Shah. The favourite was Maharashtra Governor P.C. Alexander, the choice of Mahajan, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar. The group was virtually unanimous about Alexander but awaited further consultations with the allies and opposition leaders.