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NEW DELHI: The announcement of July 19 as the date for the presidential election coincided with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee reaching Delhi on Tuesday evening for an important meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi expected to centre on UPA’s choice for President.

The Election Commission’s announcement injected a sense of urgency into the discussions although the last date of nomination being June 30 gives Congress some leeway to seal taxing negotiations with allies like Mamata and outside supporters like Mulayam Singh Yadav.

"I will be meeting Soniaji tomorrow," is all Mamata offered on reaching here before hurrying off to meet Yadav at the Samajwadi Party chief’s residence. Given their crucial roles in ensuring a win for a UPA nominee, the meeting is significant in view of a likely sharing of perceptions. Mamata may meet Yadav again on Wednesday after discussions with Sonia.

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee continues to hold a slight edge in the presidential sweepstakes as the Bengal CM is believed to be ready to approach the selection of a UPA nominee with an open mind while reminding Congress that she would like to be part of the decision. The other candidate remains Vice- president Hamid Ansari.

Mamata’s arrival does not necessarily mean a nod for Mukherjee. On being told that Mukherjee’s name was doing the rounds, she told mediapersons in Kolkata, "This is a Congress matter. Let me see what she (Sonia Gandhi) says". Mamata received two calls from Sonia on Monday evening and Ahmed Patel, the Congress chief’s political secretary, also spoke to the West Bengal CM.

The Trinamool chief has made it clear she would not like to be presented with a fait accompli as this could embarrass her given the impression of the leader being a key player in the UPA. Party sources also denied a linkage between support for a UPA nominee and the special financial package the West Bengal CM has been insisting on.

Doubts have also been raised on the feasibility of a package as this might even attract the charge that an "inducement" was offered for support for the UPA candidate.

In fact, Trinamool feels it is Mukherjee who may have made the connection rather than the party by holding an extensive meeting with state finance minister Amit Mitra amid raging political speculation over who will be the ruling coalition’s presidential choice. "The state government has been pressing for a package for a year now," said sources.

The Sonia-Mamata meeting is significant as it could move the protracted stalemate between Mukherjee and Ansari closer to a resolution. It remains to be seen if Sonia puts up names and if Mamata does press her reported veto over Ansari for his connections with the Left and her lukewarm demeanour towards Mukherjee.

An understanding of Mamata’s priorities will help Sonia push the presidential negotiations with other partners and supporting parties after having taken matters in her own hands by meeting partners over the presidential election.

Apart from Yadav shrewdly keeping Congress guessing about his bottomline, allies like NCP professed support but also added an odd caveat. On Tuesday, NCP spokesperson D T Tripathi enigmatically said, "India’s President will be acceptable to all. He will be a senior most person, who will be congratulated by the entire country" - a hint interpreted as support to Mukherjee.

Meanwhile, prospects of former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma, supported by Biju Janata Dal and AIADMK, remain bleak, while BJP leader Jaswant Singh added a new twist to the political scene by calling on yadav, ostensibly to explore backing for the vice president’s post. It is understood that the BJP is not too enthused, while the SP chief politely explained his party’s inability to support Jaswant.

Announcing the presidential election schedule, CEC V S Sampath said, "The notification of the president’s election can be issued by the Election Commission on or after the 60th day before the term of the outgoing president expires." The EC will issue notification for the election on June 16. The last date for filing nominations is on June 30. Nominations will be scrutinized on July 2 and last date for withdrawal of nomination is July 4. The election will be held on July 19, and result will be declared on July 22.

The secretary general of Rajya Sabha will be the returning officer for the election. Ballot boxes will be used for the president polls as electronic voting machines

Before the calls from Sonia, Patel also spoke to Mamata over phone on Monday afternoon. Mamata, it is believed, had agreed to come down to Delhi for discussions only after she made it clear that a consensus between the UPA partners should be worked out and the TMC chief should not have to endorse a name that the Congress leadership has already decided on.

Sonia is learnt to have requested Mamata to come down for a discussion here, because the Congress chief is slated to travel abroad, even as she had to postpone her travel plans by a few days, with the Presidential election on her mind.