Nitish favours second term for President Pranab Mukherjee

PATNA: Favouring a second term for Pranab Mukherjee, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Monday said there would be no better idea than re-electing Mukherjee as President of India.
He also asked the ruling party at the Centre to try to build consensus with all opposition parties for the unanimous election of President.
“It is the responsibility of the ruling party at the Centre to contact all opposition parties and try to build a consensus for presidential candidate.If there is no effort of making consensus by the ruling party, the opposition parties would have no option other than fielding a joint candidate for presidential polls,” Nitish told reporters after his weekly ‘Lok-Samvad’ programme.
He said it would be better if the ruling party at the Centre takes an initiative for building consensus with the opposition parties before the presidential election. “I am not saying it is their duty to build consensus, but it is their responsibility to take intuitive for building consensus. They should take initiative,” Nitish, who is also the JD(U) national president said.
On being asked whether he would favour a second term for Pranab Mukherjee, the Bihar CM said there would be no better idea that re-electing him. “But even for this, the ruling party at the Centre would have to take a decision in this direction and try to make a consensus with all parties,” he said.