Congress may not accept TMC, SP's President options

There seems to be another twist in the race for the President's post. Congress sources say that they cannot accept the options given by Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Rejecting Congress President Sonia Gandhi's choices for the Presidential candidate that were - Pranab Mukherjee and Hamid Ansari - Mamata and Mulayam proposed three names those of - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former President PAJ Abdul Kalam and former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee.

Sources in the Congress say that Kalam cannot be their first choice and that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's name cannot be ruled out yet.

Sources say the Prime Minister's Office has rejected the option of the Prime Minister being the Presidential candidate.

The UPA is expected to call an emergency meet soon to build a consensus. Sources say the UPA will discuss a consensus candidate in the meeting.

The Congress has reasons to worry after Mamata and Mulayam's twist. If UPA's candidate loses the Presidential elections, the government will fall and snap elections would be called. Mamata and Mulayam seem to have opened the possibility of a federal front being formed of the state leaders.

Sonia Gandhi's credibility is on test to ensure the nomination of a preferred Congress candidate. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's credibility has also been damaged by allies suggesting he could be made the President instead of staying on as the Prime Minister.