The last presidential campaign was a cakewalk for the Congress with all parties supporting Pratibha Patil whole-heartedly, including regional party Shiv Sena. However, this time, the race to Raisina Hill has given Congress leaders sleepless nights. And the reason for their woes is that a regional party such as Trinamool Congress has challenged the leadership of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) by announcing three names without any consultation with the alliance.

The party led by firebrand West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has also won over the Samajwadi Party, and put forward three names with ex- President APJ Abdul Kalam as its first choice, followed by PM Dr Mamohan Singh and CPM stalwart Somnath Chatterjee. Mamata has managed to kill many birds with one stone.