Focus on TDP now to sort out Speaker issue

NEW DELHI, March 18: Chances of evolving a consensus for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker looked remote today with the BJP reiterating its stan...

NEW DELHI, March 18: Chances of evolving a consensus for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker looked remote today with the BJP reiterating its stand that it was ready for a contest if the Congress and the United Front went ahead with their proposal to field their joint candidate.

Congress too appears ready for a showdown. Party spokesman V N Gadgil said they would put up their own candidate for the post.

All eyes are now on the TDP which is likely to play a crucial role to sort out the imbroglio. In private, both the Congress and the UF leaders admit that without the TDP’s support their candidate would lose to the one fielded by the BJP.

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But sources in the TDP today said that their party would not back a Congress candidate. "We’ll stick to our oft-repeated position — that of maintaining equi-distance from the Congress and the BJP even on this issue," he said.

But he also ruled out the possibility of his party having entered into any quid pro quo deal with the BJP for the posts of the Speaker and the deputySpeaker.

Meanwhile, BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan, while emphasising the need for avoiding a contest, today said his party would "soon" approach the Congress for a consensus on the issue.