New Delhi:
Ever since Pranab Mukherjee left the government to contest the Presidential elections, the question has been who will take his place as the number two in the government.
There's nothing official about it, but it seems Defence Minister AK Antony has taken that coveted seat right next to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Sources tell NDTV that this can be seen as a clear indicator that Mr Antony, often referred to as 'Mr Clean of the UPA' government, has moved into Pranab Mukherjee's space.
However, observers say this may lead to some heartburn from Nationalist Congress Party chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar who was the senior most minister in the Cabinet after Mr Mukherjee .
Mr Antony was the only minister to be made part of a four-member core group, that was at the helm of running the Congress Party when Sonia Gandhi was abroad for surgery in August last year. That group included Rahul Gandhi and Mrs Gandhi's political secretary, Ahmad Patel.