Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde was made to eat his words in a matter of hours. After first stating that he would be happy to see NCP chief Sharad Pawar as Prime Minster, Shinde backtracked saying he had been misquoted and that the Congress wanted Rahul Gandhi to be the next prime minister, CNN-IBN reported.
Earlier in the day Shinde said, "I will be happy if Pawar becomes PM. He has been trying since 1992. But because of Delhi's politics he hasn't been able to do so."
Sushilkumar Shinde. PTI
Once word of the statement got out, the NCP swung into action,clarifying that Sharad Pawar would not be contesting the 2014 elections as a prime ministerial candidate.
"We are grateful for Shinde's comment, our leader has the capibilty to be a good PM. But we are aware of our party's strength, and we want to clarify that Sharad Pawar is not in PM's race," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik was quoted as saying.
All eyes are now on the Congress All India Committee meeting scheduled for 17 January when many predict that Rahul Gandhi will be nominated as the Congress' prime ministerial candidate.
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