Congress authorises Sonia Gandhi to decide Presidential candidate

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been asked by her party to pick its candidate for the presidential election, to be held in July. At a meeting of the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee moved a resolution authorizing Mrs Gandhi to select the candidate. There is much being read into this –Mr Mukherjee was believed to be a front-runner for his party’s nomination, but sources say the fact that he was asked to move the resolution suggest his chances may have dimmed.