Mumbai/New Delhi:
In a huge boost to the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party today said that it would be "strongly stand by the government" over the latter's choice of candidate for the next President of India.
"Mr Pawar has made it clear NCP will strongly stand by the Government," said NCP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Supriya Sule who is also the daughter of party chief Sharad Pawar. Ms Sule's statement is the first concrete confirmation by the NCP, an ally of the Congress-led government at the Centre and in Maharashtra.
Sources in the Congress had earlier said that the NCP was likely to favour Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as the candidate of the United Progressive Alliance. Mr Mukherjee, a Congress veteran, has been increasingly viewed as the frontrunner for the Congress' choice for the country's top post. The Congress has also been involved in hectic discussions with other allies such as the DMK and the Rashtriya Lok Dal to garner their support ahead of the crucial presidential poll in July. Part president Sonia Gandhi, in fact, had met RLD chief Ajit Singh on Wednesday and DMK leaders TR Baalu and MK Stalin on Thursday. All of them are believed to have supported Mr Mukherjee's candidature. Mulayam Singh Yadav, the chief of the Samajwadi Party, which provides external support to the UPA, has already indicated his preference for Mr Mukherjee as the coalition's candidate. He has repeatedly said that he would like to see a politician as a President.
But the Congress, interestingly, has remained tightlipped about the party's probables for the presidential post. On Saturday, it sought to scotch all speculation, stating that no names had been finalised. Janardan Dwivedi, chairman of the party's media department, said that discussions with the party's allies were continuing and that no names had been finalised.
"At the moment, I can say only this much that the process of discussions with our allies and supporting allies is on and no name has so far been finalised," Mr Dwivedi said.
Today, it reiterated its position saying that the party was trying to build "maximum" consensus among its allies in selecting its Presidential nominee.
"We are in the process. You will get a very good candidate. Our senior leadership is looking at the names and the leadership is in touch with all alliance partners," Mr Khurshid told reporters in Chennai. "I am sure that not only we will have an outstanding candidate but also the maximum amount of consensus (from UPA allies) that can be built around the candidate will be done. The President of India must be a person who carries the conviction and support of as many political parties as possible. We hope to present such a candidate to the country," he said.
The statement by the Congress comes even as Mr Mukherjee has said that it was for the party to take the final call.
"The party (Congress) will decide. The party nominates. You cannot become president just because you want to," Mukherjee told media persons outside his residence in Kolkata.
(Read)Apart from Mr Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari has also emerged as one of the top contenders for the presidential nomination.