New Delhi, June 15 (MNS/ ANI): UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who was authorized by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) to decide on the presidential candidate, on Friday evening announced Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as the ruling alliance’s choice for the coveted post of President of India
Dr. Manmohan Singh, earlier today met senior Congress colleagues, including Pranab Mukherjee, to discuss the presidential poll issue ahead of the UPA meeting.
Besides Mukherjee, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid and Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal were also present in the meeting.
The Congress Core Group, which met at the residence of the Prime Minister here on Thursday, is believed to have decided to put forward Pranab Mukherjee’s name for the coveted post.
“We want to be in the UPA. If they don’t want us in the government, that choice is with the Congress,” she told media here after meeting Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Banerjee also said Dr. A.P.J. Kalam was her first choice for the president’s post.
“Our formidable candidate is Kalam. They rejected the name of other candidates. So now Kalam is our candidate. We will be very happy if Kalam contest the elections and he will win the elections,” said Banerjee.
Mukherjee said “I accept this offer with all humility,” I have been fortunate to receive love, affection and the confidence of my party colleagues and also members and leaders of other political parties… I will now again seek their indulgence and support for the next few weeks,” ..
Without Banerjee, the Congress and its allies have 38 per cent of the vote for President. With Yadav and Mayawati, who has agreed to back Mukherjee, they hit 48 per cent. To cross the 50 per cent mark, they have lobbied the Left, which has said it will take a decision shortly.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday confirmed that the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, had called Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj to tell her about the United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA’s) decision to declare Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as the ruling alliance’s candidate for the post of president.
Senior BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain told a television channel that Dr. Singh had sought the opposition National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA’s) consensual support for Mukherjee’s candidature.
He said that Swaraj offered her best wishes to Dr. Singh over Mukherjee’s selection, but said it would have been better if the UPA had taken constituents of the NDA into confidence about their plans well before unilaterally announcing Mukherjee’s name for the post of president.
Hussain said that with the announcement of the UPA candidate, the opposition NDA would now meet again to discuss the latest developments related to the July 19 presidential poll, and take its own considered decision on the issue, including the naming of its own candidate.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/upa-announces-pranab-mukherjee-as-presidential-candidate/
