Presidential polls: Mamata lands in Delhi; meets Mulayam; to see Sonia on Wednesday

Jun 12, 2012 |

New Delhi

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday night for consultations with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday on the issue of Presidential poll nominee of UPA amid intense speculation on Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's candidature for the post.

Soon after her arrival, Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress is a key constituent of UPA, met Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to discuss the Presidential polls.

"I am meeting Soniaji tomorrow to discuss the Presidential elections," Banerjee told reporters on arrival at the airport here. Trinamool Congress, with 19 members in the Lok Sabha, is the largest constituent of UPA after Congress. Yadav's Samajwadi Party, which has 22 members in the Lok Sabha, is an outside supporter of the ruling alliance.

Earlier in Kolkata, Banerjee said she would wait for Congress to propose a nominee for the top Constitutional post.

"Let me see what they say," was her brief reply to a question on whether she would propose any name.

On being told that the name of Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's was doing the rounds as the Presidential nominee, she replied, 'that is a Congress matter. Let me see what she (Sonia Gandhi) says'.

Gandhi, authorised by the Congress Working Committee to decide on the candidate for the President's post, is engaged in consultations with allies on evolving a consensus nominee.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony has already held discussions with DMK chief M. Karunanidhi while Sonia Gandhi had had talks with NCP leader Sharad Pawar and RLD chief Ajit Singh on the presidential candidate.

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