Presidential poll: UPA dishes up numbers

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With Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav sharing the dais with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi at an official function to mark the completion of three years of UPA-II in government, a strong political message has gone across: that the ruling alliance has succeeded in securing the required support for its presidential nominee.

But this bonhomie with the SP has pushed BSP supremo Mayawati away from the UPA; neither she nor any of her nominees attended the function at the official residence of the Prime Minister despite an invitation.

Even the chiefs of two key UPA allies — Trinamul Congress and DMK — skipped the function and instead sent their nominees.

For TMC, it was junior minister Saugata Roy and for DMK it was its floor leader in the Lok Sabha, T.R. Baalu, who were seated on the dais.

Even RJD chief Lalu Prasad had the privilege of being there on dais this time; he was seen sitting in the audience in May 2011 when the UPA-II held a function to mark the completion of its second year in government.

Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury, however, denied that any message was sought to be given to anybody by having the SP chief and RJD supremo on the podium along with senior ministers and leaders of parties that have representatives in the Cabinet.