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| Presidential candidature narrows down to Patil, Mukherjee | | Sonia Gandhi to announce her nominee after foreign trip | |
BL KAK
NEW DELHI, JUNE 7: Congress party's candidate for the post of President of India will be anounced in the capital after Sonia Gandhi completes her foreign trip. Sonia is scheduled to fly out of India on Friday. Her stay abroad will last nearly eight days.
A source close to Sonia Gandhi told EARLY TIMES on Thursday that although further discussions on the Congres party's candidate for President's post would take place in New Delhi after her return from abroad, the gameplan of as many as eight regional parties against the Congress could run into rough weather because of the two "powerful" Chief Ministers, Mayawati of UP and Karunanidhi of Tamil Nadu. According to the source, the equally "powerful" National Conference party of Jammu and Kashmir would not extend its suport to the BJP leader, Bhairosingh Shekhawat's candidature even if he were to be fielded as an independent candidate by the Opposition.
Amid the changing political scenario, the race for Presidential candidature in the Congress seems to have narrowed down to the Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, and Minister for External Affairs, Pranab Mukherjee. Both Patil and Mukherjee are considered Sonia-loyalists. While some UPA allies, particularly the Left parties, are for Pranab Mukherjee, a section of the Congress party as well as majority of the members of Sonia's "inner circle" favour Shivraj Patil.
Pranab Mukherjee, who could not make it to the Prime Minister's chair when Sonia put in place the most non-controversial person, Manmohan Singh, as the head of the Congress-led coalition government at the Centre, would love and like his march into Rashtrapati Bhavan as APJ Abdul Kalam's successor. However, a number of Congress leaders cite Mhkherjee's indispensability in organisational, legal and administrative affairs.
A final picture will emerge only after the completion of Sonia Gandhi's foreign trip and return to New Delhi. Sonia Gandhi, who takes a break every summer, is expected to deliver a lecture in Netherlands before heading for a holiday in Egypt and maybe the Mediterranean island of Malta with her family. Sonia is expected to talk at the Tilburg University, about 100 km from Amsterdam, on 'Living politics, what India has taught me'.
A select audience comprising academics, diplomats and researchers have been invited for the July 9 lecture. Outsiders can attend after paying 45 euros (Rs.2,500). Sonia Gandhi, chosen by Forbes magazine as one of the most powerful women in the world, had received the invitation two months ago and accepted it immediately.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was toying with the idea of stopping at Amsterdam to hear the lecture on his way back from Germany, where he is attending the G8 summit. However, the idea was dropped later, According to the source. An advance security reconnaissance team is reported to have already reached Amsterdam. After the lecture, Sonia is expected to join her family, including her mother and sisters, for a holiday in Egypt. Rahul Gandhi is already in Europe and daughter Priyanka Vadra with her family will be joining them too.
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