The Speaker of the Lok Sabha, G M C Balayogi who met the President today and a number of leading constitutional experts who were called by the President for consultations during the past two days, have returned with the distant impression that Narayanan would be averse to throwing the country into a mid-term poll at this juncture particularly when the 12th Lok Sabha has completed just one year.

Those who called on the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan included Attorney- General Soli Sorabjee, former AG Ashok Desai, K K Venugopal and K Parasaran among others.

Balayogi was the first to meet him in the morning. The moment Balayogi learnt about the President's reluctance to hold mid-term polls, he informed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister NChandrababu Naidu about it. It is learnt that Naidu spoke to Prime Minister A B Vajpayee. The BJP leaders were jubilant and had considerably toned down their criticism of the President even during private conversation today.

The President solicited the views of these legal luminaries who got the impression that Narayanan would prefer to go through the usual motions of inviting the Third Front leaders belonging to parties who are in double digit in the Lok Sabha (such as the CPM, Samajwadi Party and even AIADMK) after the Congress president Sonia Gandhi reported success or failure of her efforts.

Since Sonia Gandhi has sought some more time, the ritual may begin by tomorrow evening or Monday. The President will turn towards the BJP only after all other options are exhausted. Narayanan also gave the impression that he has an open mind on the issue as there has been no such precedent in the country's parliamentary democracy.

He also felt that India's Constitutional crisis could not be compared with otherdemocracies as these countries are small in size and polls can be held there quickly. In India, poll is a big exercise and cost is enormous, he is understood to have expressed the view. Secondly, nobody is confident that polls may throw up a clear verdict either.

The President would not like to have a government in the caretaker capacity for the next 5 months either as the Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill has indicated to him that the commission would require three months time to prepare for the General elections.

Since polls cannot be held during the rainy season, the latest they can be held is in October only. However, within a month elections are due in six states. Therefore, he is keen that the country does not face political uncertainty for the whole of the year. If a chance can be given to the BJP even under AB Vajpayee, after other contenders report failure, there is neither legal nor constitutional bar. The President is not averse to set a precedent also if it is in national interest andlegally correct. It was also pointed out by Sangh Priya Gautam, BJP general secretary, who called on the President today that there existed several precedents. N Sanjeeva Reddy who was President during 1979 had asked Morarji Desai to submit a list of his supporters in the Lok Sabha even after he had resigned after losing majority.

Hitendra Desai's government was sworn in even after it lost the confidence vote in Gujarat in the 70s. Even the United Front government was sworn-in in 1997 under I K Gujral after HD Deve Gowda lost majority on the floor of the House. Gautam pleaded that there was no legal or moral bar in recalling Vajpayee.

Defence Minister George Fernandes today also conveyed to the President an Italian precedent where a defeated prime minister was invited to form the government. In his letter to Narayanan, he said that Rmano Prodi who resigned in September 1997 after losing majority, was allowed to continue.