The Congress party, that heads the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition at the Centre, has begun the process of deciding the government's candidate for the presidential election to be held in July when Pratibha Patil's five-year term expires, reports said.
The Congress, that is said to be backing Hamid Ansari, currently the Vice-President, has also decided to send an emissary to Tamil Nadu to ensure the support of M Karunanidhi, who heads the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), a critical member of the UPA.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will back its own candidate for the election, and is said to be supporting scientist A P J Abdul Kalam, who served as President from 2002 to 2007 but did not stand for re-election when his term expired.
The formal head of the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary branches of Indian Democracy and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, the President of India is elected from a group of nominees, by MPs and MLAs and serves for a term of five years.