The UPA leadership would take the maximum amount of consensus from its allies in selecting the candidate for the post of President, who must carry the conviction and support of as many political parties as possible. Law Minister Salman Khurshid said this while talking to reporters in Chennai on Sunday.

The Congress last week had authorised party president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to pick the presidential candidate.

BJP, meanwhile, said it would disclose its strategy on the Presidential elections only after the ruling UPA coalition announces its The principal opposition party candidate. Talking to reporters in Hyderabad BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said that this time the presidential election results would be surprising and the party is working on this strategy.

CPI(M) Central Committee meanwhile authorised its Polit Bureau to formulate the party's strategy on Presidential polls after discussing with other Left and like-minded secular parties.

This was decided at the two-day meeting of the party's Central Committee, which ended in Delhi on Sunday.

Party sources said that Central Committee has authorised the Polit Bureau to formulate its strategy.

The CPI(M) and other Left parties have so far refused to spell out their preference and have been asking the UPA government to come up with a candidate having widest possible acceptance for the Presidency.