With former president APJ Abdul Kalam, who was Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee's choice, out of the race for Rashtrapati Bhavan, the best option for her is to abstain from voting, said her party colleagues.
This is because Banerjee has to contend with several possibilities should she decide to support former Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma as the presidential candidate.
Trinamool leaders said it was a waiting game for Banerjee, who first wants to see how close Sangma can get to the winning position.
However, in case the BJP also supports Sangma, Banerjee runs the risk of antagonising the Muslim voters, who are not well-disposed to the saffron party. This apart, the fear of being seen on the same page as the BJP can lead to a section of her MPs and MLAs ignoring her whip and voting for UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee.
"Banerjee will take the final decision," said Sultan Ahmed, Trinamool core committee member.