Mamata Banerjee bid to force early polls?

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Alarm bells appear ringing for UPA-2 as the Samajwadi Party and Trinamul Congress rallied behind A.P.J. Abdul Kalam as their presidential choice Thursday. Congress attempts to break the SP have so far failed: the party continues to oppose Pranab Mukherjee’s presidential candidature.

Trinamul’s ties with the Congress appear cracking up. The Congress leadership Thursday virtually accused Mamata Banerjee of a 'great betrayal'.

Banerjee has apparently decided to boycott the UPA meeting on Friday. While she won’t publicly admit it, sources said she is exploring the option of breaking away from UPA-2 before the next general elections.

The BJP is learnt to have assured Trinamul that it would back Dr Kalam, sources said. The BJP will also try to convince its JD(U) ally, now backing Hamid Ansari for President, to endorse Dr Kalam at Friday’s NDA meeting.

Sources claim that both Mamata Banerjee and SP boss Mulayam Singh Yadav are trying to force an early general election. Both leaders, who met Thursday evening for the third time in 48 hours, feel it will benefit their parties.

If the UPA cannot get its candidate elected President, there is a clear possibility of a mid-term poll early next year. If Dr Kalam wins, the 'government will fall, and the onus will not come on us', a source said.
Some Congress leaders hope the SP will 'break ranks with Mamata' and support its candidate.

Trinamul is working on a gameplan to goad the Congress into breaking the alliance. Banerjee virtually dared the Congress to 'sack' her from the UPA. “If the Congress feels we are unwanted, then let the party tell us,” said Ms Banerjee. “But nobody should threaten us.”