The presidential candidate of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, Pranab Mukherjee on Friday stated that he banked on judgement of the members of the Electoral College for the outcome of the forthcoming Presidential election.
UPA Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee's camp on Saturday hit back at opposition-backed candidate P A Sangma for raking up fresh allegations against his candidature saying the campaign was being "vitiated".
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Monday justified its support to United Progessive Alliance Presidential poll nominee Pranab Mukherjee, saying abstention would have not only meant "lining up" with Trinamool Congress but also blunted its intervention in the emerging political scenario.
A day before United Progressive Alliance Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee's Jharkhand visit, the Congress on Wednesday said chances of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha President Shibu Soren supporting him are positive, though he has chosen to defer the date of announcement of his choice for the July 19 election.
Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury created flutters on Thursday when she talked of how valuable Pranab Mukherjee is to the government but the party stepped in immediately to clear the air saying the finance minister is not ruled out from the Presidential race.
Presidential candidate P A Sangma has written to the Presidential election returning officer seeking a copy of his detailed order rejecting Sangma's objection against the candidature of United Progressive Alliance nominee Pranab Mukherjee.
Setting aside its differences with the Congress, the YSR Congress Party of Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednessay decided to support the candidatures of United Progressive Alliance candidates -- Pranab Mukherjee for president and Hamid Ansari for vice president.
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president and city member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday met jailed YSR Congress chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and sought his party's support for United Progressive Alliance Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee in the next month's election for the top Constitutional post.
Launching his campaign for the Presidential election in which he appears set for a cakewalk, United Progressive Alliance nominee Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday appealed to all political parties to back his candidature, apparently eyeing Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. Mukherjee met UPA's key partner Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's president M Karunanidhi at his residence in Chennai, formally kick-starting the campaign.
Yoga guru Ramdev on Monday accused the Congress of "lowering the dignity" of the President's office by making Pranab Mukherjee the United Progressive Alliance's nominee for the top constitutional post.
'Rashtrapati Ji, it has been an honour to work with you, as your Prime Minister,' Modi said.
United Progressive Alliance nominee Pranab Mukherjee on Monday met ruling Congress MPs, MLAs and MLCs as part of his campaign for the July 19 Presidential election.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal legislature party on Saturday decided unanimously to vote for United Progressive Alliance's candidate Pranab Mukherjee in the presidential polls to be held on July 19, the party's national president Lalu Prasad said. At the RJD legislature party meeting held at former chief minister Rabri Devi's residence, it was unanimously decided that all 22 Members of Legislative Assembly of the party in Bihar and five in Jharkhand would vote for Mukherjee.
Apparently referring to ally Trinamool Congress, United Progressive Alliance Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday once again appealed to those who have not yet decided on supporting him to do so.
Ending days of suspense, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday made it clear that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was her first choice for Presidentship and Vice President Hamid Ansari was also in the reckoning.
With reference to the demand of debate on the lines of US election, made by his rival and opposition nominee P A Sangma, UPA's Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee said in Mumbai that Presidents in India do not decide policy, and there can be no debate on "personality".
The United Progressive Alliance Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday asked political parties not to bring the campaign down to the level of ordinary poll, a day after his opponent Bharatiya Janata Party-backed nominee P A Sangma appealed for votes on the plank of tribal identity.
United Progressive Alliance Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee on Friday telephoned Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and is understood to have expressed his gratitude for extending support to him in the July 19 Presidential poll.
Pinning hopes on "conscience vote" and his tribal identity, P A Sangma on Friday virtually dared United Progressive Alliance nominee Pranab Mukherjee for a debate ahead of Presidential polls, saying democracy needs debate.
Although sources in Jaganmohan Reddy's party say that a patch-up between the YSR Congress and the Congress in highly unlikely, they would still prefer Pranab for President as the UPA is better than the BJP-led NDA, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
Even before P A Sangma filed an election petition in the Supreme Court challenging Pranab Mukherjee's election as President, Mukherjee filed a caveat on Tuesday seeking a copy of the petition against him.
Having rejected the three names proposed by the Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party combine, the Congress is expected to come out with the name of the United Progressive Alliance candidate either on Thursday or Friday.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday dismissed as speculation reports that he has emerged as a front runner in the race for presidential election.
Notwithstanding the clear edge for Pranab Mukherjee in the Presidential race, the opposition National Democratic Alliance on Saturday appeared keen on ensuring a contest even if it means supporting P A Sangma in a bid to gain new allies ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
With P A Sangma staying in the Presidential fray, the Congress on Wednesday said the contest was part of democracy but it would not pose a problem for Pranab Mukherjee who is sure to become the President.
The 71-year-old Dalit leader is expected to have a smooth sailing in the event of an election.
Nomination papers of Pranab Mukhejee, for the Presidential poll on July 19, are being readied, according to sources. Senior Union ministers and Members of Parliament have been summoned to Parliament House on Wednesday to affix their signatures on Mukherjee's papers.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is expected to file on June 28 his nomination papers for the Presidential election.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday threw a spanner in the Congress party's works by proposing a completely different set of names for the post of President.
In an interesting meeting scheduled for July 13, Pranab Mukherjee, the ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition's nominee for the Presidential election, would be calling on Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, to thank him.
The Congress wants to show that it is Sonia Gandhi who will nominate the presidential candidate, to discard the impression that the party chief has been given a fait accompli if she does not want the Congress candidate to lose, says Renu Mittal
Former PM Manmohan Singh and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi also paid their tributes.
United Progressive Alliance's Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee said in Kolkata on Saturday night that if necessary, he would definitely talk to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, seeking her support to his candidature.
Notwithstanding the ruling Congress remaining undecided on who should be its presidential candidate, Congress members of Parliament and members of Legislative Assembly have come out in open demanding the post for Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Left parties were on Thursday divided on the Presidential election with the Communist Party of India-Marxist and Forward Bloc deciding to support United Progressive Alliance candidate Pranab Mukherjee while the Communist Party of India and Revolutionary Socialist Party opting to abstain from the voting.
The National Democratic Alliance on Thursday got another jolt in the Presidential race with the Janata Dal-United becoming the second NDA ally after Shiv Sena to break ranks with Bharatiya Janata Party to support United Progressive Alliance candidate Pranab Mukherjee.
The Congress is working on "evolving a general consensus" for naming the candidate for the next president of India with sources in the party confirming that Pranab Mukherjee appears to be the only name doing the rounds.
Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday refused to add any fodder to the talk of him being the front-runner for the President's post, saying he was himself "in the dark" over the issue that has hogged headlines back home. The past week has witnessed intense speculation in India over who would occupy the Rashtrapati Bhavan next, with Mukherjee and the current Vice President Hamid Ansari being touted as the main contenders.
President Pranab Mukherjee -- rewarded as president yet not trusted enough to be prime minister.
Pranab Mukherjee had wanted to be reborn as one of the well-bred horses in the President's stable at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, he had jocularly told his elder sister years back when he was a young MP.
