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

Events gathered momentum on June 6 when Advani hosted a lunch which was attended by Vajpayee and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Also present was NDA's troubleshooter Mahajan. Naidu made his preference for Kant quite obvious and indicated that if the NDA persisted with Alexander, the vice-president should be considered for a second term. He expressed his difficulty in accepting Alexander. However, after forceful arguments by Advani, Naidu suggested they look for a consensus candidate. He had one condition: no name should be finalised without consulting him. By the evening Vajpayee and Advani began to actively consider Kant. Fernandes was asked to sound out allies.

LEFT OUT: The Congress and the Left relentlessly campaigned for Narayanan but their efforts failed

For the next 16 hours Fernandes talked to all the NDA allies. Not a single constituent, from Mamata Banerjee to Naveen Patnaik, favoured Kant. Thackeray even threatened to withdraw support to the Government. At a noon meeting on June 7, the wise men decided on Alexander and agreed to convey that to Naidu. Soon after the meeting, the prime minister spoke to Naidu who after initial opposition, fell in line but suggested putting matters on hold till next day. That evening, the group met again and decided to inform Alexander of their decision. Vajpayee and Advani spoke separately to Alexander and congratulated him.

ACT THREE: THE DECOY

When Vajpayee sought Naidu's presence in Delhi for formal announcement of the candidate, the TDP boss backtracked, questioning the manner in which Alexander was chosen. The sudden turnaround stunned NDA managers. On June 8, Vajpayee, Advani, Mahajan, Fernandes and Venkaiah Naidu all made frantic calls to Chandrababu Naidu but he refused to oblige them.

Given the NDA's keenness not to rub Naidu up the wrong way and Vajpayee's desire to avoid a contest, Kant's prospects brightened as the race entered its last lap. "The prime minister is a defensive player," a Union minister said. "He was keen to avoid a contest."

Just as it began to discover Kant's hidden attributes-"freedom fighter and sober politician"-the NDA leadership did a rethink. There were strong political reasons for the NDA to be unhappy with Kant. He was seen to be a "Third Front" man, then Naidu's nominee, a Congress choice and only last the NDA candidate. Perhaps aware that the presidential selection was getting sticky, Vajpayee asked Fernandes to sound out the NDA partners.

ACT FOUR: THE BLUFF

NATIONAL HONOUR: Kalam was given the Bharat Ratna in 1997 for his contribution

June 8, a Saturday, was really the decisive day. The NDA and Opposition scripts, which had been running on separate lines, suddenly intersected and dramatically impacted on the next round of events. At 11.30 a.m., Brajesh Mishra, the prime minister's principal secretary, played host to senior Congress leader Natwar Singh. Mishra gave Singh the impression that Kant was the NDA's choice. The suggestion that Mishra was executing Vajpayee's brief is only partly correct. As the prime minister was quite aware of the strong reservations within the NDA over Kant, it is unlikely that he would have authorised Mishra to convey a definitive impression. As things turned out Vajpayee had to give up his quest for a consensus in the face of sustained opposition of his senior colleagues.

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Losing Finalists Three men who were the favourites in the presidential race K.R. NARAYANAN The relationship between the outgoing President and the NDA has been strained. The Government was determined to prevent a second term for him. The President was willing to go with the Opposition. He kept speculation alive by not reacting to the Opposition's claims. Only after Kalam's candidature split the People's Front did Narayanan say he was not in the race. P.C. ALEXANDER The dignified and understated Maharashtra governor was the NDA's first choice. His candidacy was actively supported by a Mumbai group including Pramod Mahajan, Bal Thackeray and Sharad Pawar. At the same time, the Congress was determined to block him at any cost. Would have been the NDA candidate had Chandrababu Naidu not put his foot down. KRISHAN KANT The lacklustre vice-president almost made it, despite no one really wanting him. He had a strong backer in Naidu and Vajpayee thought him preferable to a bitter contest over Alexander. But his conduct as Rajya Sabha chairman had earned him the NDA's ire and his name was shot down by L.K. Advani and George Fernandes. Could still cling on as vice-president, if lucky.

But Mishra's solo run was the reason why Naidu spurned NDA overtures on Alexander. Natwar Singh lost little time in informing his leadership of what Mishra had to say. Kant called up Naidu to thank him for his support. By this time, however, Fernandes had reported to the NDA core group that no major partner viewed Kant with anything but disfavour.

Mishra's lack of finesse also created a politically delicate situation for the NDA. A cabinet minister admitted that if the Opposition had grabbed Kant as its candidate on Sunday, it would have ensured a break between the NDA and Naidu. The People's Front and Congress then called upon Narayanan who indicated that he would "consider" contesting.

Congress sources feel that the Mishra episode was part of a kerbside deal that the PMO was keen to work out with the Congress. This meant that while the NDA would support Kant, and thereby keep Alexander out, Natwar Singh could then be considered for vice-president.

By Sunday evening the mood in the Government was grim. Naidu was elusive, the coalition's coordinating committee meeting was put off yet again and there were red faces all around over the Kant fiasco.

ACT FIVE: THE WILD CARD

When Fernandes, Mahajan and Venkaiah Naidu arrived at Advani's Prithviraj Road residence at 6.30 p.m. they were aware that time was running out. It was at this meeting that Kalam's name found favour.

The four then left for Vajpayee's residence where the prime minister agreed that Kalam was the best choice. He spoke to Naidu in Hyderabad who immediately saw the possibilities in the situation. The hunt for the next President was over.

FINAL ACT: THE RETREAT

The Kalam candidature resulted in unanticipated collateral damage. It wreaked havoc with the People's Front and stirred up the Congress. When the leaders of the People's Front met at CPI(M) veteran Harkishen Singh Surjeet's residence on the morning of June 11, the writing was on the wall. Just before the meeting got under way, Congress leader Manmohan Singh met Surjeet.

Former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda said that Kalam was an NDA and BJP candidate. A television in Surjeet's drawing room showed BJP President Jana Krishnamurthy welcoming Kalam's candidature. But Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav felt otherwise. He had been among the first to suggest Kalam's name and he fielded his soft-spoken party colleague Janeshwar Mishra to point out that the Samajwadi Party would never oppose a "deserving" Muslim like Kalam. When the People's Front met again later in the day, the lines remained unaltered. Surjeet, who had kept unusually silent, said, "To phir kya hoga (So what will happen)?" A Left leader provided the reply: "The People's Front is over."

Sonia was still not convinced that Kalam was the NDA's final choice. "They might push Alexander's name at the last minute," she told Amar Singh. Her suspicions were rooted in Kant's name being circulated, then Alexander popping up again and then Kalam being named as the NDA presidential nominee.

During People's Front meetings, the communists raged against Mulayam for backing Kalam. "He is a fascist, a Hitler," CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said. Mulayam recalled that he had proposed Kalam's name and had also recommended him for a Bharat Ratna. Said Amar Singh: "Let us face it. People are happy with Kalam. They are against the political class. They would prefer a Sachin Tendulkar or Infosys' N.R. Narayan Murthy to an Amar Singh." The break between the Left and Mulayam is fairly significant as this grouping kept alive the presence of a non-BJP, non-Congress political formation.

The Congress was left with the most egg on its face. The irony was inescapable. Forced to accept a Muslim candidate proposed by the BJP, and with opposition unity in tatters, the party's recent gains have become history.

When Vajpayee turned in for the night on June 10, the day the NDA endorsed Kalam's candidature, he may have recalled standing shoulder to shoulder with the scientist at the Pokhran pit. This time too, he had exploded another bomb, as politically seismic as the one designed by India's next President.

-with Lakshmi Iyer