With Trinamool Congress, Samjawadi Party rejecting Pranab Mukherjee's name, NDA becomes important

NEW DELHI: With Trinamool Congress and Samjawadi Party introducting a dramatic twist into the Presidential race, the stand of BJP-led NDA with over three lakh vote value in the electoral college assumes significance and could have implications for the government at the Centre.

In the electoral college with 10,98,882 vote value, Congress and its allies, including Trinamool, constitute the UPA account for over 4.60 lakh vote value. BJP-led NDA has over 3.04 lakh vote value.

The 'others', including parties like Samajwadi Party, BSP and the Left, have over 2.62 lakh vote value.

If Trinamool and SP break away from UPA to put up a candidate of its own and manages the support of NDA and anti-Congress parties like AIADMK, BJD and TDP, then the going could become a bit uneasy for Congress.

Trinamool and SP together have a vote value of 1.16 lakh. Together with NDA's over 3.04 lakh and the parties like AIADMK, BJD and TDP with over 87,000 vote value add up to 5.07 lakh. For this, AIADMK and BJD have to dump their candidate P A Sangma and pitch for the SP-TMC candidate.

With SP in opposite camp, BSP could be expected to side with Congress. The three names suggested by SP-Trinamool are not to the liking of Left parties which have a vote value of over 51,000.

Together, BSP and Left account for around 95,000 vote value which will be of great help to UPA. In such a scenario, UPA could boast of 5.07 lakh vote value.

In this situation, the votes of minor unattached parties may play a crucial role.