Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee on Thursday made it clear that she is determined to back A P J Abdul Kalam as the candidate for the President's post.
She also met Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday evening.
"After meeting Mulayam Singh Yadav, I will leave for Kolkata tonight," she said while talking to media personnel.
"The name of A P J Abdul Kalam was suggested by myself and Mulayam Singh even last time. He is an excellent man and if direct voting was held, Kalam would win. This is not a municipal corporation election or election for MLAs, MPs. This is an election for the President's post," she said.
Reportage: Onkar Singh in Delhi
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'We will go according to our path'
Banerjee also stated that she had no plans to attend the meeting of the allies of the United Progressive Alliance called by UPA chief Sonia Gandhi on Friday.
Dismissing talks about leaving the UPA, she said, "I am not afraid of threats and I will not give in. Others can do so, but I will not. I am not leaving UPA unless they throw me out".
Speaking on Kalam's candidature, she said, "Whoever supports, supports and whoever does not support, we will go according to our path".
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'The ball is in the court of the Congress'
"We have given a clarion call, whoever supports or not supports us is not our problem," the Trinamool chief said.
In an ominous remark that could have a bearing on the stability of the government, she said if the ruling party's candidate loses in the Presidential poll, then it may have to consider mid-term elections.
"The ball is in the court of the Congress," she told reporters.
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