Uncertainty reigned in the capital on Wednesday night over whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could emerge as the next Presidential candidate, with neither the Prime Minister's Office nor the Congress providing an official response to the suggestion made jointly by the Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party.
While there has been speculation in Congress circles, ever since the United Progressive Alliance won a second term in power in 2009, on the possibility of Dr. Singh being elevated to the presidency, there has never been any serious move in that direction. However, some Congress sources said on Wednesday that accepting him as a candidate after his name was proposed by parties other than the Congress would erode the authority of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Others, more sanguine, said that either way a Congressman would be the next President.
