The Trinamool Congress (TMC) may not have made public its stand on the Presidential election but it has already issued a diktat to its party members. All 28 Trinamool Congress MPs have been asked to be in Kolkata on July 19, the day of the Presidential polls. According to party sources, all elected MLAs and MPs will be voting from Kolkata. Members of Parliament cutting across party lines usually cast their vote in the Parliament precincts.
TMC chief Mamata Banerjee’s virtual rejection of Pranab Mukherjee as the UPA nominee by proposing other names had driven a wedge between the two allies. While all other UPA allies have declared their support for Mukherjee, including those that render outside support like BSP and SP, the TMC has refused to divulge its stand. The TMC which has nine Rajya Sabha and 19 Lok Sabha MPs, together with its MLAs accounts for approximately four per cent of the total value of votes. Banerjee has informed her partymen she will be announcing her decision on July 17, just two days before the polls.
