Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today (May 12, 2004) said the Congress has always projected Sonia Gandhi as the Prime Minister.

"Sonia Gandhi is leader of the Congress and the party has projected her to be the Prime Minister," Shinde told reporters after the weekly Cabinet briefing in Mumbai.

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Though the party had projected Gandhi as the Prime Minister, the final decision on the issue will be taken by all the alliance partners taking into account the prevailing situation.

On supporting someone other than the Congress chief for the Prime Ministership, Shinde said the decision would be taken after the situation becomes clear tomorrow.

Asked about the courtesy calls made by the Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and also reportedly by National Democratic Alliance (NDA) convenor George Fernandes, he said, "The Vice-President is a friend of the NCP chief and the call was about his health condition. But I am unaware of any call made by Fernandes to Pawar."

Brushing aside the NCP chief Sharad Pawar's chances of shifting guard, the Chief Minister said, "I trust Pawar very much and he will not go anywhere."

Shinde said he was misquoted by the media on comments related to Pawar as the Prime Ministerial candidate.

"How can I make such a statement when we are together in Government in the State," Shinde said, adding the principles of alliance have to be maintained.

He claimed the Congress-led alliance in the state would bag the same number of seats they had got in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections.