'We all know Pranab Mukherjee will win presidential poll', says key aide Pradyut Guha

New Delhi, July 22 (ANI): With the whole nation eagerly waiting to see its 14th President, UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee's campaign manager Pradyut Guha on Sunday expressed confidence about the former emerging victorious in the race for Raisina Hill.
 
Guha said Mukherjee is waiting for the final result of the 2012 presidential election.
 
"He is very normal, but waiting for the result. We all know that we are going to win, but we have to wait for the result," he said.
 
Guha further said it was the UPA's decision to nominate Mukherjee for the highest post, and added that the latter has accepted the decision taken by Sonia Gandhi.
 
"It is the UPA's decision, which post Dada (Pranab Mukherjee) will hold. He has accepted the decision taken by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi," he said, when asked that Mukherjee was earlier considered to be the prime ministerial candidate, but now he is all set to become the nation's next president
 
"This is the highest post. He will be the assisting in running the whole country, which means that he will continue to remain in politics," he added, while emphasizing that Mukherjee, who was the UPA's key troubleshooter will continue to play an active role in the politics of the future.
 
Mukherjee, often referred to as the best Prime Minister India never had, began his political career in 1969 and has served in every Congress cabinet since Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister.
 
The counting of ballots has began amidst tight security in Parliament House in the presence of authorised representatives of both Mukherjee and Sangma. The ballot boxes of votes cast in Parliament House were taken up first for counting after which those from the states will be opened.
 
Authorised representatives inspected the seals of the ballot boxes and the counting began after it was ascertained that they were not tampered with.
 
As many as 95 percent of the 4,896 electors -- 776 MPs and 4,120 MLAs -- had exercised their franchise on Thursday at the polling centres set up in Parliament House and 30 other states and Union territories with assemblies.
 
Mukherjee nears the finish line of Rashtrapati Bhavan, as his candidature has been backed by major outside allies like the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) besides the UPA.
 
Trinamool Congress (TMC), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), JD (S), CPI-M, YSR Congress and Forward Bloc have also extended their support to Mukherjee along with National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners Janata Dal-United and Shiv Sena.
 
Security has been stepped up at Pranab Mukherjee's residence at 13, Talkatora Road here.
 
P.A. Sangma, a former Lok Sabha Speaker, jumped into the fray playing the tribal card with the initial support of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
 
The BJP and Akali Dal decided to back Sangma, who quit the NCP, the party he founded with Sharad Pawar, to contest the election.
 
The new president will be administered the oath of office by the Chief Justice of India on July 25 at the historic Central Hall of Parliament.
 
The President of India is the head of state of the Republic of India. The President is the formal head of the legislature, executive and judiciary branches of Indian Democracy and is the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. The powers to pardon and clemency are vested with the President of India. (ANI)