Pranabda hasn't given us any indication of the tough period when he realised Sonia Gandhi had decided to give the presidency not to him, but to then vice-president Hamid Ansari. He wrested the presidency from her, and handed her the biggest defeat of her UPA years, observes Shekhar Gupta.
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.
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.
The Sena leader further said the RSS's agenda behind inviting Mukherjee as the chief guest to one of its event, held in Nagpur on June 7, would only be clear after the 2019 general elections.
From starting off his career a teacher in West Bengal to joining politics and holding several ministerial positions, it has been an enviable journey for Pranab Mukherjee through the echelons of power.
'If the Congress gets to form the government in 2024, then Sonia Gandhi by virtue of being CPP chairperson will have the authority to decide who will be the prime minister and not Kharge.'
Former President A P J Abdul Kalam had once cancelled his visit to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters in Nagpur for an event after friends warned him that he would be labelled as an "RSS sympathiser", claims a new book, Kalam: The Untold Story.
Amidst controversies, the National Sports Awards were presented by President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Friday.
The MPs include ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Meenakshi Lekhi, Anant Kumar Hegde and Parvesh Singh.
The first generation IAF officer from Haryana will assist President Droupadi Murmu as the supreme commander of India's armed forces unfurls the Tiranga on Republic Day.
President Pranab Mukherjee, along with the Defence Chiefs and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar were also present to pay homage on the 50th anniversary for the brave who sacrificed their all for the greater good.
"NDA is a beautiful rainbow of regional aspirations... So nation's development through the development of states... At a time when we are working for a developed India, NDA is taking the lead in showing the spirit of sabka prayas," he said.
From the point of view of qualification, Murmu is probably educationally the least qualified among India's recent Presidents. But then, with the BJP in command, she will be required to do little but sign on the dotted line.
In a traditional welcome ceremony, President Pranab Mukherjee rubbed nose with the chief of an Indigenous group as he started his visit to New Zealand on Saturday.
However, in reality, Mukherjee neither wore a cap nor did he give any salute.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Monday said that Pranab Mukherjee should begin his tenure as President by rejecting the mercy plea of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and create history. Congratulating Mukherjee on his election as the 13th President, Thackeray said we have great expectations from Pranab Mukherjee.
President Pranab Mukherjee presented five Padma Vibhushan, eight Padma Bhushan and forty-three Padma Shri awards at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Abhijit also said he would like the government to issue a postage stamp in honour of his father.
On the eve of 70th Independence Day, President Pranab Mukherjee is addressing the nation.
The world famous Mughal Gardens in Rashtrapati Bhavan will be open for public from Friday.
Food production in the current fiscal is likely to go down as sowing will be 20 per cent lower due to the weak monsoon, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Tuesday. Also, 161 districts have been declared drought-prone, he added.
Faced with one crisis after another, the beleaguered ruling alliance desperately needs a seasoned politician like Pranab Mukherjee to bail it out, says Anita Katyal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday greeted the nation on New Year, hoping that 2016 brings peace and prosperity in everybody's lives.
President Pranab Mukherjee addresses the nation on the eve of 68th Republic Day.
President Pranab Mukherjee addressed the Joint Session of both Houses of Parliament at the beginning of the Budget session.
The Sena has repeatedly said that its choice for the the highest office is the RSS chief.
Shinde said speaking on RSS platform is very important.
'The Presidential Years' would be the fourth to be authored by Mukherjee, who passed away on Monday at the R&R hospital at the age of 84.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday again took a digital tablet wrapped in a traditional 'bahi-khata' style pouch as she headed for Parliament to present Union Budget 2023-24 in a paperless format just like the previous two years. She posed for the traditional 'briefcase' picture outside her office along with her team of officials before heading to meet the President. She, however, was holding a tablet instead of a briefcase to present the Budget in a digital format.
At the first governors' conference chaired by him, President Pranab Mukherjee showed exactly why he was respected by his fellow party-men and opponents alike in his previous, political incarnation .
Deprecating "endemic" protests against corruption, President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday warned that the country would be "flirting with chaos" if its democratic institutions come under an assault.
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.
Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday described as 'scandalous' Bharatiya Janata Party's contention that Pranab Mukherjee's resignation letter to the Indian Statistical Institute was forged, and said the UPA Presidential candidate must surely have taken note of this allegation levelled against him.
By asking Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to move the resolution authorising the Congress president to select the party's presidential nominee, Sonia Gandhi has strengthened her political position. Sheela Bhatt analyses
Elaborate security arrangement have been made in and around Guwahati city for President Pranab Mukherjee who will arrive in the city on Monday afternoon. The will be the Pranab Mukherjee's maiden visit to Assam after becoming the President.
President Pranab Mukherjee will meet governors and ministers to get their feedback on matters affecting the common man, and make amends, reports Renu Mittal
Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday became the 13th President of India capping a five-decade career that saw him play significant roles in government, Parliament and party.
Rediff.com's Indrani Roy was the only journalist to attend President Pranab Mukherjee's ancestral Durga Puja celebrations at Miriti village in West Bengal, and is charmed by the sight of the Head of State play a gracious host during the festivities.
Rediff.com's Indrani Roy visits Pranab Mukherjee's ancestral home in Miriti, Birbhum district. India's President arrived here on Saturday to perform Durga Puja
Sonia and Rahul Gandhi meeting their party's stalwart of many decades -- President Pranab Mukherjee -- is not unusual, but the timing of their visits is, notes Sheela Bhatt
