Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] appears a natural choice as the prime ministerial candidate of the United Progressive Alliance in the next elections and it may be 'too early' for Rahul Gandhi [Images], Nationalist Congress Party chief and a key UPA partner, Sharad Pawar [Images] has suggested.

He also favours the UPA jointly contesting the coming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh [Images], Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi [Images] to send the right message ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

"Congress as the major party in the UPA has to take a call on the leadership issue. It should decide and discuss with the allies. But if we want someone who is non-controversial then Manmohan Singh is there," Pawar told PTI in an interview.

He made it clear that 'it is too early to say anything' about the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. The MP from Amethi is generally being projected by Congress as a potential leader and a future prime minister.

The NCP chief is the first among the UPA leaders to pitch for Manmohan as PM candidate. He had expressed a similar view sometime back after which some Congress leaders like Arjun Singh [Images] had attempted to project Rahul Gandhi, drawing instant snub from the party high command.

Pawar feels that the Lok Sabha elections will be held at the scheduled time -- March-April next year. He does not see the possibility of the UPA going for early polls by the year-end after a record foodgrains production and possible reining in of inflation in the next few months.

During the interview, the Union Agriculture minister answered a wide range of questions including the state of affairs in the national parties, especially the Congress, the Amarnath issue and the rise of the regional parties.

He feels that the 15th Lok Sabha could turn out to be a short affair if either Congress or BJP failed to win a minimum of 150 seats and form the next government.

"In the coming elections, it is difficult for any party to get 160-170 seats."

He also said a third front government formed by BSP headed by Mayawati [Images] and the Left joining hands after getting 50-60 seats each, will not have much of a future.

History has shown that Charan Singhs, Chandra Shekhars, Deve Gowdas and Gujrals cannot give stability at the Centre, but Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh can, he says.
 
Pawar, who parted ways with Congress in 1999 on the issue of foreign origin of Sonia Gandhi [Images], feels that the regional parties are bound to rise in the coming days as the national parties, both Congress and BJP, have failed to give stewardship in states to those who are 'natural leaders'.

On the Amarnath issue, the NCP chief is critical of the BJP. He maintains that the saffron party's responses do not suggest that the national party was behaving responsibly. The BJP, he alleges, was just doing votebank politics.

On the problems confronting Congress, he says: "In the days of Pandit Nehru, there were leaders like B C Roy and Govind Vallabh Pant in states. In later years, there was hardly any such thing and the states started being run through representatives of the central leadership. It is no different in the BJP."

Pawar, who has spent decades in the grand old party, said the Congress would face problems till it gives legislative rights to those who have recognition of society.

"There was no bio-data culture before the seventies. There was no centralisation of power. Nowadays, it is unfortunate that those who have spent 30-40 years in the organisation are forced to give resumes to those who have not contributed 10 to 20 years for the party," he said.