Who would be UPA's next prime ministerial candidate?

Ground is setting for the youth icon Rahul Gandhi as the UPA next prime ministerial candidate for the forthcoming general elections and getting momentum with the loud and clear voice of some the Congress prime leaders and other UPA’s coalition members.

Getting strength within the party from the Supreme Court’s verdict on OBC quota in higher education system in the favour of government the HRD Minister Arjun Singh vociferously proposed Rahul Gandhi’s name for the prime minister’s candidate.

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However, he said it was his personal view and he would abide by the party’s decision, and his personal view is not meant to undermine Manmohan Singh’s position within the government. He said, “But again I would say what’s problem in accepting Rahul as prime minister. He has all the qualities to be the PM like his father and learning things and acquire information and knowledge very fast,” said Arjun Singh, who is considered as the loyalist to the Gandhi family.

In the sidelines when he was expressing his opinion on the next PM candidate, when he was asked a query about OBC reservations, the HRD Minister said UPA coordination committee would meet soon after the resuming of Parliament session on Tuesday to sort out differences among allies over the creamy layer issue. He said without confronting the apex court, the government would seek and examine suggestions from allies.

In another query whether the reservation would be called in private academic institutions, he said “of course.” But, all that would be in subsequent phase and not at once, he added later.

Some times later, DMK an ally of UPA came in full support of Rahul as the DMK chief Karunanidhi said his party would back the young leader like Rahul as the prime ministerial candidate.

Another UPA’s ally the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which had earlier pledged his support to Manmohan Singh for his round two slots as prime minister, later gave indication that it would support the candidate whomever the Congress projected — whether it was Congress President Sonia Gandhi or the young Rahul Gandhi. But one thing is clear that NCP would fight the next general election under the UPA umbrella.

The Cabinet Minister for Civil Aviation and the NCP general secretary Praful Patel also had cleared the confusion by formally stating that his party would support the youth leader Rahul, as it had supported the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

It is now being expected that in the coming days some more leaders would come in full support of Rahul Gandhi to be made the prime ministerial candidate.

Rahul Gandhi’s popularity has certainly been enhanced after his recent Discovery of India tour and his denial to the cabinet minister’s portfolio.

However it would be early to say whether the UPA chairperson and mother Sonia Gandhi would support her son to the prime ministerial candidate for the coming general election or would she wait for the Congress to be stronger. Secondly, would she like to undermine the position of Manmohan Singh by nominating her son as the prime minister?

Earlier, after Rahul’s rejection to the berth in cabinet ministry, the UPA chairperson had said that he refused to join cabinet because he wanted to concentrate on party’s work to strengthen it.