Click to play videoNew Delhi: While the Election Commission is yet to make the General Elections official, the race for the top job has already begun in the Congress-led UPA alliance.
The NCP has already pitched for Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar as the next prime minister even as Congress has made clear that there is no vacancy.
“Pawar has a reason to be optimistic. UPA faces anti incumbency and the NDA is sorting out its affairs. In this situation the anti-BJP, anti-Congress parties are hopeful and Pawar is acceptable to most, especially the Left and SP,” says Cong Gen Secy DP Tripathi.
Though Sonia has repeated that Dr Manmohan Singh is the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate, NCP's statement may just be the beginning in a politically volatile situation.
Problem is that sources reveal that Dr Singh himself may be getting second thoughts. He has expressed his reluctance to continue with the top job after the Lok Sabha elections, his health being one of the reasons..
In such a situation, Rahul Gandhi's name could gain momentum, especially since Sonia does not seem to trust anyone else as PM. So External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the newly-annointed Home Minister P Chidambaram may have to wait.
But the queue within the UPA for 7 RCR is getting longer. Like the Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, 2009 elections will be a vote for credibility and reputation. In that respect, it appears Dr Singh remains far ahead of the rest.
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