By IANS,
New Delhi : Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav Tuesday kept his options open on the names doing the rounds as possible nominees of the Congress but indicated he would be comfortable with candidature of Vice President Hamid Ansari as he belongs to Uttar Pradesh.In an informal interaction with media persons at the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to mark third anniversary of United Progressive Alliance-II government, Mulayam Singh repeated his demand that the post of president should go to a politician.
Asked if he considered Ansari to be a politician, he said that he (Ansari) belonged to his “favourite” district of Uttar Pradesh. Ansari’s family belongs to Ghazipur district in eastern parts of the state.
“People from his family are political,” the Samajwadi Party chief said.
later, asked by IANS about his stance on Finance Minister Pranab Mukherji, who is the other name doing rounds as probable presidential candidate of Congress, Mulayam Singh gave a cryptic reply.
“What to say. Just guess it,” he said.
The prime minister and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, however, did not answer any question related to presidential polls.
“Can’t say anything now,” Gandhi said to a query if Mukherjee could be spared of his responsibilites in the government.
Manmohan Singh too paried a question on presidential polls.
Nationalist Congress chief Sharad Pawar, however, said UPA seemed inching close to the numbers in the presidential race.
“I heard it (numbers) is not problem. I believe them,” he said.
Pawar said he had suggested to Gandhi that names could be discussed after the UPA musters numbers.
He said he had not discussed names with Gandhi so far.
Asked about his reaction to possibility of party leader P. A. Sangma contesting presidential election, Pawar said NCP would decide about his continuance if he files nominations.
Pawar said Sangma’s demand for support to a tribal candidate will be decided by the party.