“No matter where I am, I will never forget Jangipur (his parliamentary constituency in Murshidabad),” Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Saturday in Jangipur. He was replying to a question on whether Jangipur, which sent him to the Lok Sabha for the first time, would be neglected in the event of his becoming President of India.
Mr Mukherjee’s reply fuelled speculation about his candidature for the office of President. Mr Mukherjee, who usually loses his cool at such questions, on Saturday patiently answered it. In fact, he was smiling while replying to the query although he was asked the same question in Kolkata in the morning before leaving for Jangipur. “There is no doubt that Jangipur gave me a foothold (by electing me to the Lok Sabha). I will always be grateful to Jangipur. No matter where I am, I will never forget Jangipur,” he said in an emotional voice.
He, however, made it clear that a final decision would be taken by Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.