Prez polls: Amit Shah, Rajnath, Nadda meeting Venkaiah give rise to speculation

New Delhi, June 21:  Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, and BJP national president J.P. Nadda meeting Vice President Venkaiah Naidu at his official residence on Tuesday assumed importance in the wake of upcoming presidential elections.
 
The BJP speeded up selection of its candidate for President post after the Opposition finalised the name of former union minister Yashwant Sinha. There are several names doing rounds for the top post from the ruling party.
 
If the BJP decides to give President post to minorities due to backlash from Muslim countries over remarks made on Prophet Mohammed, then it may pick either Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan or Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
 
The saffron party is also considering the names of former Jharkhand Governor Draupadi Murmu and Chhattisgarh Governor Anusuiya Uikey for the post of the President to attract tribal votes in the next Assembly elections.
 
Surprise element would be Venkaiah. The BJP’s parliamentary board meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will finalise the candidate very soon.