Front-runner for Speaker's post Meira Kumar meets Sonia

Union Minister Meira Kumar met Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi today amid indications from the party that she was the front-runner for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker. The Minister for Water Resources, who is considered as Congress's Dalit face met Gandhi at 10 Janpath, a day after she emerged as the top contender for the post at a meeting of senior party leaders, including Prime Minister.

Union Minister Meira Kumar met Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi today amid indications from the party that she was the front-runner for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker.

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The Minister for Water Resources, who is considered as Congress's Dalit face met Gandhi at 10 Janpath, a day after she emerged as the top contender for the post at a meeting of senior party leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Kumar, 64, daughter of former Deputy Prime Minister Jagjivan Ram, is an MP from Bihar's Sasaram constituency and would be the first woman to hold the office of Lok Sabha Speaker, if selected.

Details of what transpired in the meeting between Kumar and Sonia were yet to be known.

Kumar, a five-time MP, came as a surprise choice as the name of veteran Congressman from Andhra Pradesh Kishore Chandra Deo was doing the rounds in the media for the last fortnight as the party's choice for the Speaker's post.

The post of Deputy Leader has been offered to BJP with the Prime Minister himself calling up senior BJP leader LK Advani to make the proposal, a convention that has been followed for a couple of decades.