There appears to be a deep crisis in the UPA government even before its trouble-shooter Pranab Mukherjee was declared elected as the President of the country.

After Pranab Mukherjee left the cabinet, the Congress has chosen to give the number 2 position of his to Defence Minister A K Antony, causing dismay to the NCPI leader Sharad Pawar. It is learnt that pained by the decision, both Pawar and his associate Praful Patel have sent in their resignations to the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.That the crisis started brewing on the very day when Rahul Gandhi, son of Sonia Gandhi announced his was readiness to take up greater responsibilities in the government, had added another dimension to the crisis.

Sharad Pawar was one of the two persons who had stoutly opposed Sonia Gandhi when Congress sought to make her the Prime Minister after Rajeev Gandhi’s death, on the ground of her nationality. The other leader was P A Sangma, who has contested as President against Pranab Mukherjee.

Though Sharad Pawar had opposed Sonia Gandhi, he veered round later and started playing a key role in the UPA politics. When Congress (or Sonia) chose the candidature of Pranab Mukherjee for the post of the President of India, he has instantly consented. He has also asked his colleague Sangma to withdraw from contest and when he refused, snapped ties with him. Sharad Pawar has also consented to support Dr. Hamid Ansari for the post of the Vice President, without any reservations.

It is a known fact that Sharad Pawar has aspired for the Prime Minister’s post as he was qualified enough to hold it. But even when he knew that it was not going to be possible for him to become the Prime Minister, he has been adopting an amicable attitude towards Congress and its supremo Sonia Gandhi.

When Pranab Mukherjee resigned to the post of Finance Minister and there by his Number 2 position in the cabinet, Sharad Pawar has naturally aspired for it. In the cabinet meeting held immediately after the resignation of Pranab, Sharad was seated next to the Prime Minister. His name figured as Number 2 in the website of the Prime Minister’s office. Defence Minister A K Antony was away touring his home state Kerala when that meeting took place.

However, when the Cabinet met again on the 12th of this month, A K Antony was shown the number 2 position and Sharad Pawar was shown the eighth seat in the cabinet hierarchy. Changes were also made in the PMO’s website suitably.

Now as Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that he would play a key role in the administration, every one is aware that he would get the Number 1 slot – the Prime Minister’s post after 2014 elections. Till then, he might occupy a key role.Sharad Pawar has possibly understood that he would not be offered any key role in the government even in the changed circumstances and equations.

Pawar has been unhappy since quite some time as the Congress leadership chose to reject his recommendations for some Gubernatorial appointments. Pawar has also been unhappy with some Congress leaders including minister Jai Ram Ramesh who have been critical about the style of functioning of Pawar as the Agriculture Minister.

TDP Supremo Chandrababu Naidu is worried man as five of his MLAs had defied the party’s diktat of abstaining from the Presidential poll and participated in the voting. It is learnt that all the five defiant MLAs had voted for the UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee, whom the party opposed vehemently.

Though it is not a surprise that these – MLAs Kodali Nani, Bala Nagi Reddy, Hariswar Reddy, Samudrala Venugopalachary and Chinnam Rama Kotaiah have been distancing themselves since quite some time, Naidu had not expected this brazen defiance of his authority. He is now worried on knowing that four of these MLAs were planning to join the YSR Congress, while Chinnam Rama Kotaiah, the fifth has planned to join the Congress.

Chinnam has initially tried to join the YSR Congress party. However, when the party could not assure him the Nuzvid seat from where he won in 2009 as TDP candidate, he has decided to join the Congress, after getting assured of the ticket. He has earlier declared to the shock of Naidu that he would not contest from Nuzvid as TDP candidate even if the ticket was offered to him, as there was no chance of winning. Bala Nagi Reddy has been critical of the TDP leadership and the party has already asked the speaker to take action on him.

Bala Nagi Reddy has been maintaining close relations with the YSR Congress party. Hariswar Reddy and Venugopalachary have been sailing with Telangana Nagara Samiti leader Nagam Janardana Reddy, protesting against the attitude of Naidu on the Telangana issue. However TDP leadership has not so far taken any firm decision to discipline these two. Now that they have openly defied Naidu’s authority, it has become imperative for him take some firm action to curtail indiscipline spreading to other ranks of the party. Though the party could not issue any whip with regard to the presidential poll as it was apolitical and could not hence take disciplinary action on that count, it may take action on some other count at the earliest say sources.