Before Kalam, Vajpayee's name floated for prez post

Before APJ Abdul Kalam was considered for the candidacy for the post of President of India, there were suggestions from within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for elevating the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the country's top constitutional post and making Lal Krishna Advani his suc-

- PTI

cessor. However, Vajpayee refused, stating that his becoming President by virtue of his majority would set a wrong precedent.

Ashok Tandon, who served as Vajpayee's media advisor, related the episode in his book 'Atal Sansmaran', published by Prabhat Prakashan.

Kalam was elected the 11th President in 2002 with the support of both the then ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Opposition. He served in this position until 2007.