New Delhi: The Congress seems to be strategising to checkmate the Mamata Banerjee-Mulayam Singh Yadav duo by going in for Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's candidature for the President's post. Congress President Sonia Gandhi met Pranab on Thursday at her residence. She also met Defence Minister AK Antony, Home Minister P Chidambaram and DMK leader TR Baalu on Thursday.
Sources say that the Congress has completely ruled out the option of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh becoming the Presidential candidate. Sources also say that the Congress will name its candidate in within the next 24 hours. A Congress Core Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 5:30 pm.
With new twists every moment, Sonia Gandhi now has the following options:
1) She can announce Pranab as the Congress's candidate, risk Mamata's anger and go in for a contest.
2) The Congress can part ways with Mamata and Mulayam and look for options outside. There can be other potential allies like Mayawati's BSP and the Left Front.
3) Sonia can buy time by calling a UPA meeting after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returns from Mexico on June 23.
4) Sonia can also look for a compromise candidate outside the five candidates who were named on Wednesday - Pranab Mukherjee, Hamid Ansari, APJ Abdul Kalam, Manmohan Singh and Somnath Chatterjee.
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