Will UP, Bihar Get Special Financial Packages For Supporting Mukherjee?

Bangalore: The Prime Minister will discuss financial packages for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar at a meeting of top officials today, reported NDTV. The Presidential elections are now about a week away, and both states are ruled by parties that have promised support to the ruling UPA's candidate, Pranab Mukherjee.
 
West Bengal, which is ruled by UPA ally Trinamool Congress, is not on the list of states for which financial packages will be discussed.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has for months now been demanding a big financial bailout for her debt-ridden state, making quite a few trips to Delhi, but has been unable to get it. This is an issue that has played a big role in her sulk with the Centre; she has consistently refused to voice support for Mukherjee's candidacy and has kept everyone guessing where her party's 4.3 percent votes in the Electoral College will go when the Presidential elections are held on July 19.

Bihar is ruled by the NDA; in fact the BJP partners the Janata Dal (United) in government. But Nitish Kumar's JD(U) has broken ranks with the rest of the NDA on the issue of the Presidential Elections and is backing Mukherjee instead of the official NDA candidate, Purno Sangma.
 
Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party rules the big state of Uttar Pradesh. But Yadav gave the Congress some frightening moments in the weeks before Mukherjee's candidacy was announced. He appeared alongside Mamata Banerjee to propose a list of three names for President; the list did not include Pranab Mukherjee's name, but in a big embarrassment for the Congress, it had Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's name, seeming to imply that allies had lost confidence in his leadership as PM.
 
The Congress was more outwitted at good friend Mulayam Singh's betrayal than at ally Mamata Banerjee causing trouble, as it is common. But soon Mulayam Singh detached himself from Banerjee's side and suitably voiced support for Mukherjee's candidacy. Last week, when Mukherjee visited the UP capital of Lucknow, the Samajawadi Party laid out the red carpet to welcome its candidate.