Manmohan is PM candidate of Congress only: NCP

The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party on Tuesday caused a flutter in the United Progressive Alliance, declaring that Manmohan Singh is the prime ministerial candidate of only the Congress and not the ruling UPA.

NCP general secretary D P Tripathi made the claim contending that the UPA was "intact" only in government and has been "disbanded" for elections by the Congress, which is leading the alliance.

Tripathi also said that if the ruling alliance does not get majority in the polls, "We should talk to the Third Front" as it is close to UPA and "our main fight is against NDA".

Apparently seeking to reopen the issue of leadership after the Lok Sabha polls, Tripathi told media persons that "circumstances are more important than party and individuals" while deciding who will be the next prime minister.

Tripathi maintained that Singh would have been the "obvious PM candidate" of the UPA if Congress had faced the elections as part of a front at the national level.

"By refusing Pawar's suggestion that the UPA should fight the elections together, the Congress has disbanded the UPA in elections 2009, this is not a healthy thing," said Tripathi, who is also party spokesman.