By IANS,
Kolkata: Telecom Minister and Congress leader Kabil Sibal Thursday met West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, urging her to support presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee.
Sibal, who arrived here in the morning, went to state secretariat Writers’ Buildings for talks with Banerjee. However, after the meeting, he refused to divulge the details.
Banerjee’s party is the second-largest constituent of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and Mukherjee is the UPA’s choice for president.
However, the Trinamool Congress is yet to reveal its stand on the presidential poll after its preferred candidate, former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, declined to contest.
Although, electoral arithmetic seems to be favouring Mukherjee with all UPA constituents except Trinamool rooting for him. Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India-Marxist, All India Forward Bloc, Janata Dal-United and Shiv Sena have also expressed their support.
But Congress is keen to get Banerjee on board to put up an united face of the ruling alliance.
However, Banerjee has so far been opposing Mukherjee’s bid for the top post. She is said to have told her close circles that she would decide her stand on poll two or three days before the voting.