Most UPA allies clapped when Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee expressed his gratitude to ‘UPA partners and supporters who walked the extra mile with us in this journey’ and then thanked Sonia Gandhi for her ‘guidance’. Agriculture Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, however, did not join those thumping their tables, signalling a very definite cooling in the UPA-NCP alliance. Pawar has publicly stated that he is interested in becoming the prime minsiter in the next government and some NCP leaders are already talking to possible allies on the matter.
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