Sushilkumar Shinde is dark horse for PM’s post

Maharashtra has two prime ministers-in-waiting. Sharad Pawar is one of them, and he is making no bones about it, getting testimonials from across the country to tom-tom his claim.
The other contender is keeping a low profile: Sushilkumar Shinde, Union power minister and former Maharashtra chief minister.

Like Pawar from Madha, Shinde will try his luck from Solapur in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 23. At 67, the quintessential Congressman has all the right qualities – a Nehru-Gandhi loyalist, no challenger to the high command, a Dalit and a “decent compromise coalition” choice.

State Congressmen compare him with Manmohan Singh – in the sense that he will never disobey the high command.

Though Shinde has warned associates against mentioning his name in the prime ministerial sweepstakes, political managers in the state Congress assert he is in the reckoning if conditions warrant after elections. Not surprisingly, Shinde has focused his political career in Delhi since 2004, refusing to return to Maharashtra as chief minister.

According to a senior Congress leader, “If the allies rallying around Congress, especially the Left, oppose Singh, and another front projects Mayawati as a prime ministerial candidate, Shinde becomes a suitable contender to counter both factors.”
Even non-BJP allies who fought against the Congress, could settle for the non-controversial Shinde.