Before the 2014 elections, Sonia had chosen Pranab for the post of Prime Minister

About two years before the 2014 general elections, then Congress president Sonia Gandhi considered replacing Dr. Manmohan Singh with then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee as prime minister. Former president Pratibha Patil's term was ending on 25 April 2012, so Mrs. Gandhi was thinking of replacing her with then PM Dr. Manmohan Singh.

This revelation has come in the recently published Bengali biography of Pranab Mukherjee – Pranab Mukherjee-Rajneeti O Kutneeti (Pranab Mukherjee – Politics and Diplomacy) by journalist and author Gautam Lahiri. In the chapter “Sonia Siddhanta Nilen Pranab Hoben Pradhanmantri” (Sonia decided that Pranab would be the Prime Minister), Lahiri has written that in 2012, Sonia Gandhi was concerned that Dr. Singh might not be the best choice for the party to achieve favorable results.

“Pranab was also informed of this thinking,” writes Lahiri. “That evening, Pranab was in a very good mood and offered sweets to a group of Bengali journalists. When the Congress party put forward Dr. Singh’s name for the presidential election, it faced “stiff opposition” from both UPA allies and the opposition. The latter began suggesting Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam as a possible candidate for a second term. Dr. Kalam had previously served as India’s president from 2002 to 2007.

As Pratibha Patil's term was about to end, the ruling Congress became desperate to find a strong candidate. Also read- Kharge's unparliamentary remarks cause chaos in Rajya Sabha. According to Lahiri, prominent leaders of the BJP and NDA, including LK Advani, Nitish Kumar, and Bal Thackeray, expressed their willingness to support Pranab Mukherjee as the presidential candidate. This would not only bring "huge disrepute" to the Congress-led UPA but could also impact the moral authority of the government.

Lahiri claims that Pranab Mukherjee, understanding the potential repercussions, persuaded Sonia Gandhi not to push for Dr. Singh's candidature. Instead, Pranab put himself forward as the candidate and assured her that he could garner support from the NDA. Though Pranab's offer was somewhat disappointing to Sonia Gandhi, it was clear that he wanted the presidency out of personal glory. West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, who had initially opposed Pranab's candidature, also joined him in his proposal. Pranab Mukherjee became the President of India in 2012 and served a full five-year term.

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