Gandhi revealed her mind to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee who gave no commitment of her party's support, saying that she would convey her position after discussions with Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and her own party.
"We had detailed discussions.... Soniaji told me that she had held meetings with two-four allies and her first choice (for Presidentship) is Pranab Mukherjee and second choice is Hamid Ansari," Banerjee told reporters after her 30-minute meeting with Gandhi.
The West Bengal Chief Minister said she told Gandhi that "at the moment, I cannot say anything. We need to discuss with Mulayam Singh and my own party. Then only we can say something."
Banerjee, whose party is a crucial constituent of the UPA, later met Yadav for the second time since last evening.
The Trinamool chief and Yadav are apparently coordinating their efforts to extract financial packages for West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
However, prior to her meeting with the Congress chief, Banerjee insisted that her demand for a three-year moratorium on payment of interest on central loans was not linked to her party's support to the UPA nominee in the Presidential polls.
"No, no, no. Support (to UPA in Presidential polls) is not linked to financial package to the state. Both are two different things," she told reporters. (MORE)