The Shiv Sena stayed away from a key NDA meeting on Thursday to discuss moves to evolve a consensus on a second term for President A P J Abdul Kalam, who has expressed his readiness to seek another tenure if there is 'certainty' about it.
BJP leaders L K Advani, Rajnath Singh and Jaswant Singh, the Trinamool Congress' Dinesh Trivedi, BJD's B K Tripathi, NDA convenor George Fernandes and Digvijay Singh of the JD(U) assembled at former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's residence, a day after Kalam's comments.
The meeting, to be followed by a call by the leaders of the newly-formed United National Progressive Alliance on Vajpayee, came after the NDA had asked UPA constituents DMK and PMK, the BSP and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP to clear their stand on Kalam.
The NDA's move is seen as a bid to drive a wedge in the UPA over its Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil.
Opposed to Kalam, the Shiv Sena, however, stayed away from the NDA meeting.
