‘Not a beauty contest’: On INDIA bloc's PM candidate, Jairam Ramesh says ‘name will be announced within hours…’

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said that the name of INDIA bloc Prime Ministerial candidate would be announced within hours (after result) on June 4.

Ramesh made the remark when he was asked if Rahul Gandhi would be the PM face.

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"It is not a beauty contest between persons. We are a party-based democracy. The question is which party or alliance will get the mandate... Parties get the majority. Party chooses their leader and that leader becomes the PM," Ramesh told ANI.

Stating that in 2004, Manmohan Singh's name was declared within four days, Ramesh said that this time it won't even take four days.

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"The PM's name will be announced within 2 days... MPs will meet and choose. It is a process. We don't believe in shortcuts. It might be Modi's working style. We are not arrogant... Not even 2 days, the PM's name would be announced within a few hours... The candidate of the biggest party will be the PM. It would happen the way it was done in 2004," the Congress leader added.

Meanwhile, speaking to PTI, the Congress general secretary said, "We are a party-centred democracy. We are not like the American system, it is not a beauty contest between individuals, it is a choice between parties. This is a 2004 moment. In 1962, a film was released based on the Sherlock Holmes mystery -- 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' -- 'Bees saal Baad' starring Waheeda Rehman and Biswajeet...what happened in 2004, 'bees saal baad', you will see that repeating," he said.

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Ramesh also said there would be no issue among INDIA bloc members in deciding on a PM nominee after the June 4 verdict in the alliance's favour. 

He also exuded confidence that the June 4 results day would be reliving of the "2004 moment" when the saffron party was unseated from power despite its 'India Shining' campaign.