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In the Hunt for the Next PM
While the speculation about Mayawati’s ascent to the prime minister’s post has tended to fade away, it is Sharad Pawar’s name that is doing the rounds at present among the non- Congress contenders. The Maharashtra leader has received the backing of Naveen Patnaik and Jayalalithaa although the Shiv Sena has withdrawn its earlier endorsement of his candidature.
The reason why his name has come up is apparently the realisation that the UPA may not be able to get a majority in Parliament. As such, it will need outside support, preferably from the Left as during the first four years of its present term. But, in view of the Left’s allergy towards Manmohan Singh, the UPA will need a new leader. As may be expected in the convoluted world of Indian politics, there are complications in this scenario. For a start, the Left’s present formal allegiance is to the Third Front. Not only that, Prakash Karat has repeatedly clarified that it will not back a Congress-led government although he is not averse to the Left receiving the Congress’s support for a Third Front regime.
Besides, both Patnaik and Jayalalithaa are currently with the Third Front although L K Advani has said that the BJP is in touch with the AIADMK leader. Like the Shiv Sena, Pawar’s presentday backers, therefore, can hardly be said to be totally reliable. Even Patnaik’s future role depends on how his party fares in the elections.
The Left itself is not on the strongest of wickets since it is widely expected to suffer setbacks in both West Bengal and Kerala. It may not be in as assertive a position, therefore, as it was during the early days of Manmohan Singh’s government. Besides, in case its standoffish attitude towards the Congress seems to help the NDA, it will be dragged over the coals by even its fellow travellers, as during the Singur and Nandigram episodes. What can be seen, therefore, through the glass darkly is that nothing is settled at the moment on the UPA’s leadership question. Although the Congress is insisting on Manmohan Singh, the names of people who are more acceptable to the comrades like Pranab Mukherjee, Digvijay Singh and Sushil Kumar Shinde have also been floated. Evidently, the post-election scene will be as frenetic as the preelection one.
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=In+the+hunt+for+the+next+PM&artid=b5YboG/Oc9Q=&SectionID=RRQemgLywPI=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=XQcp6iFoWTvPHj2dDBzTNA==&SEO=Pranab%20Mukherjee,%20Digvijay%20Singh%20and%20Sushil%20Kumar
.
.
In the Hunt for the Next PM
While the speculation about Mayawati’s ascent to the prime minister’s post has tended to fade away, it is Sharad Pawar’s name that is doing the rounds at present among the non- Congress contenders. The Maharashtra leader has received the backing of Naveen Patnaik and Jayalalithaa although the Shiv Sena has withdrawn its earlier endorsement of his candidature.
The reason why his name has come up is apparently the realisation that the UPA may not be able to get a majority in Parliament. As such, it will need outside support, preferably from the Left as during the first four years of its present term. But, in view of the Left’s allergy towards Manmohan Singh, the UPA will need a new leader. As may be expected in the convoluted world of Indian politics, there are complications in this scenario. For a start, the Left’s present formal allegiance is to the Third Front. Not only that, Prakash Karat has repeatedly clarified that it will not back a Congress-led government although he is not averse to the Left receiving the Congress’s support for a Third Front regime.
Besides, both Patnaik and Jayalalithaa are currently with the Third Front although L K Advani has said that the BJP is in touch with the AIADMK leader. Like the Shiv Sena, Pawar’s presentday backers, therefore, can hardly be said to be totally reliable. Even Patnaik’s future role depends on how his party fares in the elections.
The Left itself is not on the strongest of wickets since it is widely expected to suffer setbacks in both West Bengal and Kerala. It may not be in as assertive a position, therefore, as it was during the early days of Manmohan Singh’s government. Besides, in case its standoffish attitude towards the Congress seems to help the NDA, it will be dragged over the coals by even its fellow travellers, as during the Singur and Nandigram episodes. What can be seen, therefore, through the glass darkly is that nothing is settled at the moment on the UPA’s leadership question. Although the Congress is insisting on Manmohan Singh, the names of people who are more acceptable to the comrades like Pranab Mukherjee, Digvijay Singh and Sushil Kumar Shinde have also been floated. Evidently, the post-election scene will be as frenetic as the preelection one.
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=In+the+hunt+for+the+next+PM&artid=b5YboG/Oc9Q=&SectionID=RRQemgLywPI=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=XQcp6iFoWTvPHj2dDBzTNA==&SEO=Pranab%20Mukherjee,%20Digvijay%20Singh%20and%20Sushil%20Kumar
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