Pranab emerges as consensus candidate; Mamata gives the nod
Ahead of this, Mamata met with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Thursday to discuss the issue. Following the important meeting, a Union Minister from the Trinamool Congress has been quoted as saying, “Mamata has no objection to Pranab but it is for Congress to take a decision.”
Mamata’s meeting with Sonia was followed by her meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who she met in the evening on Thursday. It is understood that she is bargaining for a vice-president of 'their choice'.
Mamata
will
also
meet
Tamil
Nadu
Chief
Minister
J
Jayalalithaa
on
Friday
as
part
of
the
negotiations.
With
the
Presidential
nominations
issue
heating
up
the
political
space,
Sonia
Gandhi
also
reportedly
held
discussions
with
PM
Manmohan
Singh
and
Finance
Minister
Pranab
Mukherjee.
On
being
asked
about
the
‘confusion’
on
the
Presidential
candidates,
Sonia
remarked,
“Be
patient,
there’s
still
time.”
With every passing day, Pranab Mukherjee is emerging as the consensus candidate across party lines with he getting the confidence of both the BJP and CPI(M). Politburo and Rajya Sabha member Sitaram Yechury stated, “Last time the Left proposed Ansari’s name for vice-president. As far as Mukherjee is concerned we have no objection.”
CPI, however, had its own reservations on former President APJ Abdul Kalam; while the JD(U) was fine with either Pranab Mukerjee or Hamid Ansari as the Presidential candidate. Spokesman of the JD(U), Shivanand Tiwari said, “Both are good names. Pranab Mukherjee is the most experienced politician.”
OneIndia News