Former finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday became India's President-elect, with a victory margin of 70 per cent, exceeding the ruling coalition's expectations. He will be sworn into office on Wednesday.
This election came on a day when the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was also hit by sombre political reality. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh got a letter from at least two alliance partners, asking him to defer the move to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in the retail sector. And, the Trinamool Congress prepared to lead a Bengal delegation to Delhi to demand a moratorium on interest payment due from the state.
Once it was apparent that Mukherjee had crossed the halfway mark, Cabinet ministers and UPA coalition partners went to his residence to congratulate him. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, as well as Speaker Meira Kumar, arrived before the results were formally declared by the Election Commission. The fact that Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi accompanied his mother to Mukherjee's residence was seen as a validation of his growing stature within the party. The PM also arrived to congratulate.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee telephoned Mukherjee and is reportedly going to be present at his swearing in ceremony.
The Congress, which has been plagued by ally trouble of late, can take heart from the fact that in BJP-ruled Karnataka, massive cross-voting helped escalate Mukherjee's victory margin. While 117 votes were polled for Mukherjee there, Purno Sangma, the rival Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA candidate, got only 103. Earlier in the week, ruling party MLAs had warned the central leadership to expect cross-voting by at least 21 members from dissident groups, protesting the elevation of five MLAs with corruption charges against them who had been promoted as ministers.
S S Ahluwalia, spokesperson for Sangma, said: "We were aware of the numbers from the beginning and the numbers were always in the favour of Pranab Mukherjee. It was a conscious decision taken by the BJP and other political parties to not give a walkover to Mukherjee. All the senior leaders, including P A Sangma, will meet to discuss and analyse if the BJP and other opposition parties have managed to retain our votes or not." The leaders are expected to meet on Tuesday to analyse the votes.
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Political swirl
The UPA, as mentioned before, has its share of worries, too. The Nationalist Congress Party, led by one of the government's seasoned ministers, Sharad Pawar, is still upset and planning a meeting tomorrow, where the possibility of it leaving the government and only providing outside support cannot be ruled out.
The government is waiting till Mukherjee's swearing-in to introduce important policy reform, including reducing the diesel subsidy, taking a view on FDI in multibrand retail and deciding on the universal provision of foodgrain as an entitlement for the poor. Details of the last proposal have been opposed by the NCP.
That the Samajwadi Party, never known for consistency, had backed Mukherjee in the presidential election but has on Sunday joined the Left in opposing FDI in retail is something the government will now have to contend with. In a letter to the PM, the Janata Dal (S), the Left parties and the SP asked the PM to hold off in clearing FDI in multibrand retail. "We urge the government not to open up the retail trade to FDI any further. Political parties across the spectrum are opposed to this move. Many state governments have also stated their opposition. In the absence of a wide-ranging consensus, we request you not to proceed with this decision," the letter said.
Anxiety about who will function as leader of the House also gripped the UPA. Sharad Pawar is said to have strong reservations about SK Shinde's suggested elevation, who had worked under him. P Chidambaram is one possibility, but whether he enjoys the party's confidence, that he will be able to weather the BJP's assault, is not clear.