In a move which may dampen the spirits in the NDA, Samajwadi Party  on Sunday indicated that it would maintain equi-distance from both the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the NDA National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and hinted at abstention as a possibility in the presidential elections.

Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh said the party was formed not only to oppose communal forces but to wipe them away.

A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had consultations with Amar Singh seeking Samajwadi Party ’s support for the UPA-Left nominee Pratibha Patil, the party national executive authorised party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to take a final decision on the issue.

The third option
Meanwhile, Ram Gopal, the younger brother of the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav said: “We have neither compromised with communal forces and nor will we do so”.

“The sentiment of the Samajwadi Party National Executive is against both, UPA and NDA. With only 1.10 lakh votes, we (Third Front) do not have the strength to field a Presidential candidate on our own. But a decision whether to abstain or field a candidate will be taken at a front meeting in Chennai tomorrow (Monday),” he told reporters.