Anand Sharma pitches for Pranab as President

Nahan, June 18 (ANI): Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma has asserted that only Pranab Mukherjee would be elected as the country's next President.

"Our journalist friends discuss the matter everyday, as if they are going to take a big decision in the presidential election. They should not even bother to, but they do have the right even if they want to debate over it. One thing is clear. India's next President will be the Congress party's Pranab Mukherjee. Nobody can stop this," Sharma told the media here.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi nominated Pranab Mukherjee despite opposition from a key ally, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), within the ruling coalition.

The Congress party, however, won support from other coalition partners such as Samajwadi Party for its choice and appeared confident that Mukherjee would win the Electoral College vote on July 19.

Mukherjee is lauded for his ability to reach across party lines, but critics say as Finance Minister he has been too complacent, failing to rein in spending on fuel, food and fertilizer subsidies and win cross-party support for reforms to boost flagging economic growth.

Mukherjee has served as finance minister, foreign minister and commerce minister twice and also as defence minister. He chairs most of the cabinet committees tasked with making recommendations on important issues.

Until now, India's president has been viewed as a ceremonial head of state. But with the next elections widely expected to produce a fragmented parliament with no clear winner, Mukherjee will play a key role in deciding which party takes the lead in forming a new government. (ANI)