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'He shocked me': Pranab Mukherjee dropped a PM hint, how Sonia Gandhi reacted

The late Pranab Mukherjee, former President and a Congress veteran, suggested a “change at the top” during a chat with then-UPA spokesperson Sonia Gandhi

Pranab Mukherjee handled the portfolios of External Affairs, Defence and Finance in the UPA governments

3 min read New Delhi Nov 10, 2026 12:12 PM IST First published on: Nov 10, 2026 at 12:12 PM IST

The late Pranab Mukherjee, former President and a Congress veteran, once dropped a big hint about his Prime Ministerial ambitions and suggested a “change at the top” during a chat with then-UPA spokesperson Sonia Gandhi. This was in 2010, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh firmly in the saddle in the UPA government’s second term.…