His initials are PM yet he could not become the Prime Minister.

The question posed to Pranab Mukherjee sometime in 2004 on being overlooked by Sonia Gandhi for the Prime Minister’s post lost its relevance in 2012 as he went on to become the President.

But even after completing his term as the country's first citizen and capping his long political journey, Mukherjee will probably go down as successor-in-waiting for the nation's highest office.

When Congress president Sonia Gandhi decided to nominate a leader in her place to become Prime Minister in 2004, she picked Dr Manmohan Singh instead of Mukherjee, the most senior Congressman in the ranks. That was not the only time Mukherjee felt he narrowly missed the chance to become Prime Minister. Eight years after the historic sidestep; Mukherjee sensed he would become PM in 2012.

After a meeting with the Congress president, he got the impression that Sonia Gandhi might make Manmohan Singh the UPA's presidential nominee and nominate him for the prime ministership. As it turned out, it was Mukherjee who became President.

Out in the cold

Finding himself out in the cold when it came to becoming Prime Minister has been something of a habit with Mukherjee. As perhaps her closest aide, he had seen himself as Indira Gandhi's successor after her assassination. But, in those tubulent days, it was Rajiv Gandhi who succeeded his mother.

After relinquishing office earlier this month after serving as India’s 13th president, Pranab Mukherjee might have ended his long innings in public life at the pinnacle, but he will also be known as a quintessential politician with razor sharp memory and grasp over intricacies of Parliamentary procedures and governance. He has also been famous for having a short-temper. Recently, when a well-known news anchor appeared to raise his voice while speaking to Mukherjee during an interaction, the former President was onto him in a flash. "Don't raise your voice while talking to me. I am an ex-President. Show some courtesy," he said, waving a finger at the TV anchor.

Mukherjee was a Congressman throughout his life but such has been his aura that he earned respect across the political spectrum. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had no parliamentary experience, has publicly acknowledged that hand-holding by Mukherjee helped him in understanding the nuances of New Delhi’s power structure.

New book

Even after retiring, he created a buzz with his new book: “Coalition Years: 1996-2012” presenting nuggets from an era when alliances dominated the political spectrum. The 15- year time cycle had seen the Congress losing and returning to power. India’s experiment with coalition politics was still floundering even as two distinct poles, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-led by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) with the Congress in lead emerged in this era.

In coalition politics, prime ministers were not elected but appointed by the alliance partners. That catapulted H.D. Deve Gowda and Inder Kumar Gujral as surprise occupants of 7, Race Course Road. Atal Bihar Vajpayee was the natural choice to lead the NDA when the BJP emerged as the single largest party in 1999. When the UPA came to power in 2004 under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, her Italian origin came in the way of her becoming the PM. It became clear that she would nominate her replacement.

“Within the Congress party, the consensus was that the incumbent must be a political leader with experience in party affairs and administration…The prevalent expectation was that I would be the next choice for Prime Minsiter after Sonia Gandhi declined,” wrote Mukherjee in his book making a candid admission.

He came close to the finishing line but destiny had something else lined up for him. He was reluctant to be a minister under Manmohan Singh who was his junior, but later relented. Former Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh also acknowledged that Mukherjee had every reason to feel that he was more qualified than him to lead the country. But the two enjoyed a good working relation. So much so that Mukherjee turned out to be UPA’s main trouble-shooter during Singh's prime ministership.

That has been the hallmark of Mukherjee’s personality. He has spoken well not only about his colleagues but also those from other end of political spectrum. He developed a close rapport with Modi who was admired by Mukherjee for his ability to work hard.

Within the Congress, Mukherjee had a roller-coaster ride. He was in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet but his relationship with Rajiv Gandhi cannot be termed as the best. Mukherjee had formed Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress after losing out in the power struggle. His party merged with the Congress later. When P.V. Narasimha Rao became Prime Minister, Mukherjee was made head of the Planning Commission and also foreign minister.

In the rough and tumble of power politics, some might say that Mukherjee was a survivor. He was much more than that. From Mirati village in Birbhum, West Bengal to become President and be respected across the political spectrum is not about being an also-ran.

gautam.datt@mydigitalfc.com