Kolkata: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday exuded confidence that UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee would win the presidential election with 60 per cent of votes.
Chidambaram made this observation while interacting with newspersons at the Kolkata Press Club along with HRD Minister Kapil Sibal.
To a query on whether the UPA nominee would be able to sail through the July 19 election without the support of Trinamool Congress, Chidambaram asked the scribe not to ‘accommodate’ the ally in the ‘debate’.
“Don’t bring TMC into it. I will tell you the answer. Mr. Mukherjee will win the presidential election with 60 per cent of valid votes,” he observed.
Echoing Chidambaram, Sibal said, “As per the electoral college, Mr Mukherjee will win the presidential election with more than 60 per cent of votes.”
The Trinamool Congress had not yet made its ‘stand clear’ in respect of the Presidential election.
Trinamool supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had recently maintained that the party’s ‘stance’ with regard to the Presidential election would be known two to three days before it.
Asked to comment on his discussion with the Chief Minister, Sibal, who met Banerjee during the day, refused to divulge ‘details’ on it.
Sibal’s meeting with Banerjee was the first interaction of a Union Minister belonging to Congress after the spat over the Presidential election with her. (UNI)