Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday hosted lunch for all MPs belonging to the ruling UPA coalition partners and supporting parties, ahead of the voting for India`s next President on July 19.
Though Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was not present, the lunch thrown by the Congress president was attended by her party’s two Rajya Sabha MPs - KD Singh and Sukhendu Shekhar Roy.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi had personally invited Mamata Banerjee for today’s lunch hours after the West Bengal Chief Minister announced support for Pranab Mukherjee in the Presidential race yesterday.
Today`s big lunch, which was held at the Ashoka Hotel, was aimed at facilitating greater interaction with all MPs of the ruling alliance as also supporting parties ahead of the voting.
With the confirmed support of parties like the Samajwadi Party and the BSP, and with all allies on board now, the Congress-led UPA is confident that Mukherjee will win Presidential Election.
In a surprise move, the Trinamool Congress chief yesterday announced that her party will vote for UPA`s Pranab Mukherjee in Presidential battle. She called the decision `painful` and that she was left with no other option. However, it is still not clear whether TMC will also support the UPA`s Vice-Presidential candidate Hamid Ansari for that election.
But having secured the support of major allies and other parties, the Congress hopes that its both of its nominees – Pranab Mukherjee and Hamid Ansari- will emerge victorious in their respective polls.
Those who know the mercurial West Bengal leader know that she has only tactically retracted and will hit back at those who forced her to swallow the bitter pill.
