In a complete U-turn and ending a month-long suspense, Trinamool
Congress announced its decision to vote for UPA's presidential candidate
Pranab Mukherjee 'in the interest of coalition'. After proposing the
name of A P J Abdul Kalam and two others a month ago creating a near
crisis for the UPA government last month, Trinamool chief and West
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today disclosed the party's
decision saying it had no other option and that it was not to support
any individual. The decision of the party, the second largest
constituent in the UPA with 19 MPs in Lok Sabha and 9 in Rajya Sabha,
comes apparently under pressure from within the party to back Mukherjee,
who would be the first Bengali to become a President, and not to ignore
local sentiments. "We have taken the decision with pain and not from
our heart. We have taken the decision without any provocation or
financial deal," Banerjee told the media after a meeting of party
leaders. She made a bare reference to Bengali origins of the UPA
candidate saying "Pranabda is from Bengal but we have taken the decision
due to our commitment to the people". The Trinamool decision was
immediately welcomed by the Congress party in Delhi and by Mukherjee's
son Abhijit, an MLA in West Bengal. With Trinamool's decision,
Mukherjee has the support of nearly 7 lakh vote value in an electoral
college of nearly 11 lakh. Apart from UPA partners, he also has the
support of CPI(M) and Forward Bloc and BJP allies JD(U) and Shiv Sena
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