At least three UPA allies — the Trinamul Congress, NCP and the DMK — are sulking for different reasons ahead of the presidential and vice-presidential elections. This has made Congress managers more dependent on the SP, BSP and the CPI(M).
A meeting of NCP leaders, meanwhile, is expected here on Monday to discuss a strategy over the new pecking order in the government which has relegated party chief Sharad Pawar, the Union agriculture minister, to the third position in the Cabinet.
Sensing “developments” in the UPA, the Congress has asked its MPs to come to New Delhi on July 17 and stay till voting for the presidential election, which is on July 19. They will cast their votes here. The MPs will also be joining a lunch that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is hosting for Mr Pranab Mukherjee on July 18.
The new pecking order in the government seems to have upset the NCP. Party sources said Mr Pawar was to arrive here Sunday night and a meeting of NCP leaders was on the cards on Monday, following the “pettiness, misbehaviour and indecency” of the Congress towards the party chief.
The NCP had even stayed away from Saturday’s UPA meeting to renominate vice-president Hamid Ansari for a second term.
Although Mr Pawar welcomed Mr Ansari’s candidature and asked party MPs and legislators to vote for Mr Mukherjee and Mr Ansari, the second rung of the party is angry with the Congress’ “big brother” attitude.