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Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said the ruling Congress Party had not yet consulted them over the presidential candidate. Pawar, whose NCP is a close ally of the ruling UPA Government at the Centre, said no name was conveyed to him officially. "Nobody has discussed the issue with me nor has any name been conveyed. I think a lot of time is left. We will take an appropriate decision at the right time. How can we react when officially these names (Vice President Hamid Ansari and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee) were not conveyed to us? These names have not been conveyed to us officially," he said. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sought a consensus candidate for the highest constitutional authority. "Definitely, we will discuss if the UPA and the Congress Party propose a name to its allies or to the opposition. We think there should be consensus. It is an ideal situation if the president is selected on the basis of consensus. It depends upon the stands taken by UPA and the Congress Party," said BJP lawmaker Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. There have been certain rumours that the Congress has been trying to reach out to ally partners to have a consensus on Vice President Hamid Ansari or Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for the prestigious post. According to certain media reports, Mukherjee appears to be emerging as a front-runner in the race for the president's post within his party and outside with allies and some others backing him. Current incumbent Pratibha Devisingh Patil's term ends on July 25 this year. She was sworn-in as the 12th president of India on July 25, 2007. The president is the constitutional head of the country and also the supreme commander of the armed forces.

Congress yet to consult NCP over presidential candidate: Pawar