Pranab will be the next president of India ?

New Delhi. The suspense is over now. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will be the next president of India. Congress on Friday announced him as a UPA’s candidate for the presidential post, as others political parties including SP and BSP come quickly in his support.
After UPA’s meeting on Friday evening at the Prime Minister’s house, the must-have support of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati had been landed. The Left seemed open to persuasion. Former President APJ Kalam, seen as a rival candidate, conveyed that he was unwilling to stand against the Finance Minister. And the opposition BJP hinted broadly that it could support Mr Mukherjee most likely in return for its own man as Vice-President.
UPA is now set to look for his replacements as finance minister and Leader of the Lok Sabha. While Home Minister P Chidambaram could be the one choice, many others including C Rangarajan, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Anand Sharma and Jairam Ramesh’s name are also coming out of this post. One more possibility is that the Prime Minister could keep the portfolio with himself also.
Mr Mukherjee is expected to resign from the Finance Ministry on June 24 after the Prime Minister returns from the G-20 summit in Mexico. “I accept this offer with all humility,” he said, “I have been fortunate to receive love, affection and the confidence of my party colleagues and also members and leaders of other political parties… I will now again seek their indulgence and support for the next few weeks,” he added. He singled out Ms Banerjee, describing her as his younger sister, and urged her to change her mind about backing him. However, Mamata has refused her offer, saying that the game is not over yet.
The BJP may vote in favor of the Finance Minister. “The ideal situation is that it is with consensus that the president should be chosen,” said BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. The BJP will consult with its partner, Sharad Yadav of the JD (U).