Pranab hopeful of securing Trinamool's support

UPA presidential candidate, Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday expressed hope that Trinamool Congress chief, Mamata Banerjee, would vote in his favour. Mukherjee was here in Ahmedabad on Thursday to meet the state congress MLAs and MPs to appeal for his presidential candidature.

Even as several UPA allies have supported Mukherjee's nomination for Presidential post, its key ally, Trinamool Congress has not yet decided its stand on the candidate for Presidential polls.

However, Mukherjee expressed confidence that Mamata will decide in his favour.

When asked if Congress has received Trinamool's support for its presidential candidate, Mukherjee said, "Trinamul Congress has not yet decided. But there is still time... and I do hope that she (Mamata Banerjee) will take an appropriate decision and the decision will go in my favour."

Mukherjee informed that soon after the announcement of his candidature for the Presidential elections, due on July 19, parties such as Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, JD (S) had endorsed the decision of the Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

"Other parties such including CPI (M), Forward Bloc, JD (U) and Shiv Sena besides PDP of Jammu & Kashmir have already extended support for my candidature," said Mukherjee at the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) headquarters here.

The former finance minister visited Sabarmati Ashram in the afternoon prior to addressing the congress MLAs and MPs from Gujarat. Three MLAs from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were also present at the meeting with Mukherjee.

"I am appealing to those who have not taken the decision yet, to consider my candidature (for the President's post)," he said.

Giving details about Mukherjee's association with Gujarat, Shaktisinh Gohil, leader of opposition in state assembly, said, "On August 14, 1981, dada was elected to Rajya Sabha from Gujarat. It is a matter of pride that he has represented Gujarat for six years in the Rajya Sabha. He was Gujarat's representative when for the first time he became the finance minster of India," said Gohil. Congress leaders, Rajiv Shukla and V Narayanasamy accompanied Mukherjee during his visit to Ahmedabad.