Mamata OK with Pranab
Source: The Sangai Express / Agencies

New Delhi/Kolkata, June 12 2012: Pranab Mukherjee just got a huge step closer to being President of India.

Mamata Banerjee has conveyed to the Congress that she will back him UPA's candidate.

She is reportedly "happy to see a Bengali in the position." However, she has said she will not formally commit declares him as its candidate a move it has avoided so far.

She will meet UPA chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Delhi tomorrow.

Banerjee's unofficial nod now puts pressure on the Congress to show its hand.

Banerjee, who heads the West Bengal government and has been a temperamental member of the Congress-led UPA at the Centre, would also like to scotch rumours that she is blocking a Bengali leader from becoming President, say sources.

A more cynical view in political corridors is that Banerjee would rather like to see Mukherjee out of the government, given that the two Bengal leaders have not had the most smooth relationship for some time now.

The West Bengal Chief Minister denied that her support will depend largely on whether the Centre agrees to waive for three years the Rs 22,000 crores Bengal owes as interest on loans.

But she is likely to leverage the presidential election to push more aggressively for a financial bailout Mukherjee met her Finance Minister Amit Mitra on that issue yesterday.

Later this evening, the Election Commission will announce the schedule for the election.

The UPA is expected to announce its candidate by Friday, June 15 .

The Finance Minister, believed by many to be the front-runner among those vying to be the next President, has cancelled a visit to Afghanistan on Thursday, June 14 .

The official reason is that Mukherjee wants to focus on an economy in the doldrums, but the move has added fuel to reports that the ruling UPA is likely to announce its candidate for the presidential election by Friday, June 15 .

Yadav, Sharad Pawar and the DMK, all key allies of the Congress in the UPA coalition, have allegedly pledgeddirectly or indirectly, in Pawar's case to back Mr Mukherjee.

So the only Congress ally who has yet to come on board is Ms Banerjee.

On the opposition front, the BJP's Jaswant Singh met Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today, giving rise to speculation that Singh is throwing his hat in the ring for Vice President.

Sections of the BJP are believed to favour Singh's candidacy and there is some talk of pushing for a quid pro quo the UPA gets in its candidate as President and the Opposition could get their person in as Vice-President.

As an ally who supports the UPA from outside, Yadav is seen by some as a possible broker for that deal.

Banerjee said today that she will meet Yadav during her trip to Delhi.

As the heads of regional parties who scored huge in the last elections in their states, they will have a huge say in who becomes President.

The election places at par the votes of all MPs with those of all elected members of state legislatures so regional parties count for a lot.

Comment