Experts say one of the reasons for the YSR Congress to support UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee is personal. It is a known fact that Mr Mukherjee had not liked the manner in which the Telangana statehood issue and the Jagan Mohan Reddy issue were handled by the Congress leadership. Even during Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy’s meetings with Mr Mukherjee while the former was still in the Congress, the latter had apparently told him that the party should have tried to retain him.
Sources said that at one stage the YSR Congress chief had even thought of remaining neutral in the elections. He, however, changed his mind after being pressurised by his political well-wishers Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and Anakapalle Congress MP Sabbam Hari. They apparently advised him that it would be a “good political decision” for the party to support Mr Mukherjee and send a signal to UPA authorities. Sources added that Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy argued that his support to Mr Mukherjee should not be seen as colluding with the Congress at any cost as that would be suicidal for his party in the state for the 2014 elections. The MPs, in turn, told him that it would not be seen as such as TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, too, had shown inclination to support Mr Mukherjee as he was secular. (TD has not officially announced its stand so far). They added that other parties opposing the Congress like the CPM, JD(U), Shiv Sena and JD(S) were also supporting Mr Mukherjee.