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| Politics
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| Pranab Mukherjee for President? |
| Pranab Mukherjee for President? Mamata meets Sonia today
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| INDIA
, 13-June-2012
5:4:26 AM |
| As Congress president Sonia Gandhi talks to allies and the opposition to try and build a consensus on India's next President, there is pressure on the ruling party to name its candidate for the post.
The Congress has so far been mum despite ally Mamata Banerjee making clear that she will officially declare support only once the Congress has named its nominee; friend Mulayam Singh Yadav refusing to show his cards till that announcement is made, and now even Nitish Kumar of the JD(U), which is an important part of the opposition alliance, the NDA, is suggesting that the Congress take a decision soon.
"The government which is sitting in Delhi is a government of give and take. The Congress and UPA should decide very soon whom they are going to nominate for President," Mr Kumar, who is the Chief Minister of Bihar said.
Presidential elections, if there is a contest, will be held on July 19 and the Rashtrapati Bhawan will get its new resident on July 22. So far, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is believed by many to be the front-runner among those vying to be the next President of the country. He cancelled an important trip to Afghanistan this week; his office says he wants to remain in Delhi to monitor the economic slowdown. But in political circles, his presence is being read as a sign that he is on stand-by for the Presidential nomination.
But the Congress has not named him yet. The party is believed to be still calculating the pros and cons of posting Mr Mukherjee's to Rashtrapati Bhawan. It will have to find someone to replace him as Finance Minister, Leader of the Lok Sabha and the party's chief troubleshooter. So the party is said to be ascertaining whether promoting Vice President Hamid Ansari to President would be a better idea.
Sonia Gandhi will meet Mamata Banerjee this evening to discuss the issue. Ms Banerjee, who arrived in Delhi yesterday, has already held talks with Mulayam Singh Yadav last night and,
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