'Modi had not discussed demonetization with me prior to his announcement on 8 November 2016. 'I learnt of it along with the rest of the country. 'I was not surprised when he did not discuss the issue with me prior to making the public announcement. 'It fitted in with his style of making dramatic announcements.' A fascinating excerpt from Pranab Mukherjee's The Presidential Years: 2012-2017.
The AIMIM, a partner of the UPA government, was surprised that such a statement was made by a Presidential candidate.
Incumbent Hamid Ansari, who was named as United Progressive Alliance's nominee for the Vice Presidential election, on Saturday said he accepts the decision with "all humility" and thanked all political parties who supported his candidature.
Citing Constitutional and legal provisions, the Election Commission on Tuesday rejected the petition of opposition-backed Presidential nominee P A Sangma camp against United Progressive Alliance candidate Pranab Mukherjee's nomination saying the same is not maintainable before it.
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.
After many months the UPA leadership seemed to exude a sense of confidence that they could get the better of an adverse situation in which they have found themselves for the last two years, writes Neerja Chowdhury
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram expressed confidence that Pranab Mukherjee would win the Presidential election with over 65 per cent votes when asked whether the UPA candidate would sail through without Trinamool Congress support.
Sharad Yadav, JDU chief and NDA convener, tells Gyan Varma if the UPA had discussed Pranab Mukherjee's nomination for Presidential election before announcing his name, the NDA would not have put up its candidate against the former finance minister
With the Bharatiya Janata Party supporting P A Sangma in the Presidential race, the Nationalist Congress Party on Thursday regretted that he has become the nominee of "communal forces" in a contest in which UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee will have a "decisive victory".
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.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leaders T R Baalu and M K Stalin on Thursday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and are believed to have discussed the issue of selection of a candidate for the presidential election. The meeting lasted for around 5 to 7 minutes and was described by the DMK leaders as a courtesy call.
Congress sources said the process of consultations initiated by party chief and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was a three-stage affair.
The National Democratic Alliance could not have got a candidate for vice-presidential poll with more gravitas than Jaswant Singh, a former army officer who has headed finance, defence and external affairs ministries, authored books and even served as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
The monsoon session of Parliament has been further delayed, indicating that the session may be convened on August 7 instead of earlier planned July 30.
With the Presidential nomination of legal luminary K Parasaran -- a decision by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh -- the Rajya Sabha has now four Iyengar Vaishnavites, beginning from Jairam Ramesh, Dr V Maitreyan and Communist Party of India-Marxist MP T K Rangarajan.
A new Congress leader may make an electoral impact by his very presence. Congress voters who had moved away from the party, after being influenced by the BJP's 'family rule' campaign, can now return with a certain moral satisfaction, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
P A Sangma could face disciplinary action from the Nationalist Congress Party if he ignores his party's direction to withdraw from the Presidential race and back UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee.
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.
Congress leaders say that part of their calculations and preparations for the Presidential poll have focused on getting the numbers without Mamata, reports Renu Mittal.
United Progressive Alliance Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said he will talk to Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee to seek support for his candidature when she is ready to talk to him.
Ahead of the Left meeting on Thursday to decide on Presidential poll, Pranab Mukherjee has reached out to CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat to seek his support but did not get any commitment.
The BJP core group met in New Delhi on Thursday to discuss the strategy for ensuring that all party legislators in the states and in Parliament vote for P A Sangma in the Presidential poll and decided to use this opportunity to highlight failures of the United Progressive Alliance government.
The Telugu Desam Party indicated that it may support United Progressive Alliance candidate Pranab Mukherjee in next month's Presidential election.
Speculation is rife that Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United is likely to support the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance's choice for the upcoming Presidential poll. This ties in with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's refusal to attend the meeting of non-BJP parties called by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on May 26. The meeting will discuss the presidential polls and the way ahead for the opposition to tackle the BJP.
According to Mukherjee, the mere physical presence of the prime minister in Parliament makes a tremendous difference to the functioning of this institution.
Vajpayee, chairperson of main Opposition NDA, told Dr Singh and Gandhi that UPA had declared its candidate without consulting NDA.
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.
United Progressive Alliance Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee is expected to file four sets of nomination papers signed by top UPA leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday.
'This is how Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar treated the Leader of Opposition,' Swaraj tweeted.
On the sidelines of the high political drama on the elusive consensus among the UPA constituents on the presidential candidate, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury quietly managed to break the three-day strike by the employees of Indian.
Kovind may bag over 62 per cent votes but fall short of the 69 per cent votes polled by incumbent Pranab Mukherjee in 2012.
Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh hit out at Opposition-backed candidate P A Sangma and one of his key backers Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for playing the tribal card in the Presidential polls.
None of the politicians who held the position of President particularly distinguished himself. Kalam, on the other hand, certainly stood out.
She submitted her resignation to President A P J Abdul Kalam in New Delhi.
Mayawati's party holds the key in the presidential poll given the fact that the candidate of the ruling alliance can succeed only with the full backing of the Left and the BSP.
Mukherjee's election to the office of the President of India will bring an end the lament of Bengalis of not seeing a local boy occupying the highest constitutional post of the country
Vice President Hamid Ansari will file nomination papers on Wednesday for his re-election to the post amid expectations in the United Progressive Alliance that he is set for a comfortable win.
With the United Progressive Alliance declaring Hamid Ansari as its candidate for the post of vice president, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday decided to go for a contest, but maintained that it will finalise its nominee after consulting National Democratic Alliance allies.
As part of their ongoing campaign for the July 19 Presidential election, United Progressive Alliance nominee Pranab Mukherjee and his rival P A Sangma will be separately visiting Gujarat in next couple of days.
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