West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in Delhi on Tuesday night for consultations with United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday on the issue of the Presidential poll nominee of the UPA, amid intense speculation on Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's candidature for the post.
Soon after her arrival, Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress is a key constituent of the UPA, met Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to discuss the Presidential polls.
"I am meeting Soniaji on Wednesday to discuss the Presidential elections," Banerjee told reporters.
Trinamool Congress, with 19 members in the Lok Sabha, is the largest constituent of the UPA after the Congress. Yadav's Samajwadi Party, which has 22 members in the Lok Sabha, is an outside supporter of the ruling alliance.
Earlier in Kolkata, Banerjee said she would wait for the Congress to propose a nominee for the top Constitutional post.
"Let me see what they say," was her brief reply to a question on whether she would propose any name for the top post.
On being told that the name of Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's was doing the rounds, she replied, "That is a Congress matter. Let me see what she (Sonia Gandhi) says"
Gandhi, authorised by the Congress Working Committee to decide on the candidate for the President's post, is engaged in consultations with allies on evolving a consensus nominee.
Defence Minister A K Antony has already held discussions with DMK chief M Karunanidhi while Sonia Gandhi had had talks with Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar and Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh on the presidential candidate.
