By IANS,
Kolkata: Smarting after Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s political somersault, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee Friday remained firm on supporting A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for president and stated that the game is not over yet.
“Game is not over yet. It is still on. Let’s wait and watch. Whatever I have to say I’ll say tomorrow,” Banerjee told reporters here.
The UPA Friday named Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as its presidential candidate.
After a show of support for Banerjee on Wednesday, the Samajwadi Party Friday did a U-turn and announced support for Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as the country’s president.
On Wednesday, Mulayam Singh had, along with Mamata Banerjee, virtually rejected the name of Mukherjee, a suggestion made by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
When asked to comment on Yadav’s volte face, she said: “I don’t want to comment anything about Mulayam Singhji. He is a very senior leader. It is their party decision. Everybody has his own political calculations and compulsions.”
The SP and the Trinamool Congress had Wednesday named Kalam as one of their three preferred candidates for president. On Thursday, Banerjee said Kalam was their number one choice and reiterated it after a meeting with SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Even after Mulayam’s u-turn, Banerjee remained firm about her decision on extending support to Kalam for the top job.