Kolkata, July 16 (IANS) Exuding confidence at UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee getting elected, the Congress’s West Bengal unit Monday said the Trinamool Congress should change its stance and support Mukherjee in order to save its own political prospects.
“Everyday lots of things are being written in newspapers about the presidential election. There are lots of statements from various leaders of Trinamool Congress as if Pranab-da will not win. Pranab-da already has the numbers to make it to the Rasina Hill. Nobody can stop him from getting elected,” said state Congress chief Pradip Bhattacharjee.
“They should support Pranab-da to save their own face. If they support Pranab-da then they can at least save their political prospects and save themselves from the sin of opposing a Bengali to a top job,” he added.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is yet to announce her party’s support to any candidate. She had earlier snubbed Mukherjee by rooting for former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
The Trinamool, the second largest constituent of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), is yet to take a stand on the presidential election after Kalam declined to contest.
Banerjee has so far opposed Mukherjee’s bid for the top post. She is said to have told her aides that she would decide her stand two or three days before the July 19 vote.
Mukherjee is pitted against former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma, who has the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party and some National Democratic Alliance constituents besides the AIADMK and the Biju Janata Dal.
The electoral arithmetic seems to be favouring Mukherjee with all the UPA constituents except Trinamool rooting for him. The Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India-Marxist, All India Forward Bloc, Janata Dal-United and Shiv Sena have also expressed their support for him.
