Pranab Mukherjee emerges bookie favourite

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Pranab Mukherjee has emerged as the bookies’ favourite contender for the coveted presidential post, with Somnath Chatterjee is last in the race.

Jaipur-based bookies, who have opened the rates for betting, said that Ms Mamata Bannerjee is likely to leave the UPA which will, however, get support from the SP, CPI(M) and even the BSP for the presidential polls.

Bookies from Mumbai claimed that they have already done a business of over Rs 300 crore, with bets placed mainly by politicians.

“Nobody even comes close to Mr Mukherjee. The only one next to him, we predict, is Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, but even he is placed at a rate 10 times higher than what we are accepting on Mr Mukherjee,” said a city-based bookie.

The bookie said that the rates were opened by top bookies based in Jaipur late on Wednesday evening and will change as the stands of political leaders become more clear in the coming days.

“We predict that Mamata Banerjee’s TMC will quit the UPA and in turn Mulayam Singh’s Samajwadi Party, Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party and even the CPI(M) will join hands with the UPA that needs at least 4,52,000 votes to make Mr Mukherjee the President,” he said.

The bookie said that while they have already made a business of over Rs 300 crore since the rates were out, they expect to do a lot more business till the day of filing nominations.

“Bets are being placed largely by politicians through punters who are monitoring the proceedings closely. All the action is taking place in Delhi and so the rates are being declared by bookies from Jaipur, who are close to the capital,” he said.