PRANAB AHEAD IN RACE, MEIRA NOT FAR BEHIND
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is working hard to get the support of entire spectrum of political parties including the Left and even the BJP for party's Presidential candidate.
Sources close to 10 Janpath told this paper that activities are in full swing to ensure that there “near unanimity” if not “complete unity” amongst the political parties on the presidential candidate.
The Left parties have already signaled that they are not opposed to the Congress’ presidential candidate per se. But they would ought to know his name. Obviously, if Pranab Mukherjee is the candidate, the Left won't be able to oppose his candidature. The Left has been sounded out at an informal level by 10 Janpath confidants that Pranab Mukherjee is on the top of the ladder in the scheme of things. No doubt, Speaker Meira Kumar is around in the race. But it would be impossible to negate his candidature by the party.
The allies of the UPA have by and large given their views to the Congress president during their meetings in the last one month and have consented to support a political candidate. Most of the allies who met have not disclosed what transpired during these meetings. But it is clear that Vice President Dr Hamid Ansari is not a favoured one. His OSD has quit and taken over as a full time CEO of the Rajya Sabha TV and private secretary is in line to become a member of the election commission. Even the Left parties have conveyed that they are not particularly keen for his promotion. “It is for the Congress to chose,” a top Left leader said.
Obviously, Ansari was propped by the Left in 2007 as Vice President. Now Mamata banerjee is opposed to Ansari and will back Pranab Mukherjee. The Samajwadi Party is not averse to supporting him either.
Thus the UPA, its allies and the Left are all set to back Mukherjee. The BJP will be in a tough situation why to back P A Sangma particularly when L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley have close relationship with Mukherjee.
No doubt, some BJP leaders including Gujrat CM narendra Modi want party to back P A Sangma, but in the growing clamour for Pranab Mukherjee, it will be difficult for the party to go in for a contest.
When Nitin Gadkari went to invite Sonia Gandhi for the marriage of his son, the louder message was that there would not be any confrontation on such issues. Sonia is keen to avoid a contest for the post as was the case in 2007 when the BJP fielded its candidate against Pratibha Patil.
There are other indications also in the government about the emergence of Mukherjee as a possible choice.
Pranab Mukherjee was not made head of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on coal regulator and instead the task was given to Home Minister P Chidambaram. The finance minister is not taking several important and controvertial decisions including fixing base price of spectrum.
Though Janata Dal (U) has also indicated that it would favour Meira Kumar due to her Bihar connection. She is Dalit also. Therefore, the BJP won't like to delink itself from its crucial ally either and may support Meira Kumar too. But the Congress problem is not Meira Kumar. Its Pranab Mukherjee who is insisting for the Raisina Hill job.
