Pawar endorses candidature of Manmohan as PM

Expressing satisfaction at the unassailable lead of UPA in the Lok Sabha elections, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday endorsed the candidature of Manmohan Singh as the prime minister.

"Looking at the way, they (Congress) are getting the numbers, all the UPA partners will subscribe to the Congress decision (to announce Manmohan Singh as prime ministerial candidate)", Pawar told reporters.

To a question on his own Prime pinisterial mmbitions, Pawar replied, "considering the results, how can any one else be a candidate."

"Some of the states in which we got results which we didn't expect are Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. That has really changed the situation," he said.

Asked about whether the UPA would need support of the Left parties, Pawar said, "the way people have responded to the Left, the situation has changed. UPA may fall short of some numbers. As of now, we cannot say no to anybody."