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| Sonia Gandhi to host lunch today |
| Presidential poll: Sonia Gandhi to host lunch today, will Mamata Banerjee's party attend?
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| INDIA
, 18-July-2012
0:57:4 AM |
| UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will host lunch for all MPs belonging to the ruling coalition and supporting parties this afternoon, a day before they vote for India's next President.
There is most interest in whether Trinamool Congress' 28 MPs will attend. Mamata Banerjee held out for days before confirming yesterday, in a surprise announcement, that her party's 50,000 votes in the electoral college would be cast in UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee's favour. She said she was pledging her suppport with reluctance and that it hurt her to do so.
Mrs Gandhi reportedly called Ms Banerjee last evening to thank her for the support and invited the West Bengal Chief Minister and her MPs for lunch. Soon after tomorrow's Presidential poll, elections for the post of Vice-President will be held. Ms Banerjee would not commit yesterday on whether she will also support the UPA's candidate, Hamid Ansari, for that election. But the Congress hopes to have all its partners together then, as it now has for the Presidential election. Mr Ansari called Ms Banerjee last evening to seek her support.
Today's big lunch at Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi is aimed at bringing together the Congress president's extended flock just ahead of tomorrow's crucial elections. With the avowed support of parties like the Samajwadi Party and the BSP, and with all allies on board now, the Congress-led UPA is confident that Mr Mukherjee will be the next resident of Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Here are how the numbers stack up
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