Pranab Mukherjee rules out early polls

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has ruled out the prospects of early general elections and said the Congress would like to see that it can run a coalition government for a full five-year term.

In an interview to Times Now , Mukherjee also said the question of the party forging an alliance with Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party was "in the realm of possibility."

Mukherjee is all set to make his maiden bilateral visit to the US as External Affairs Minister. In the US, he will be holding discussions with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other top officials of the Bush administration including the National Security Council.

On the nuclear deal, Pranab Mukherjee said: "Minority govt cannot take decision on nuclear deal with US.....Decision by a minority government on nuke deal can be vetoed by future government."

Asked about Opposition leader LK Advani's claim of an early election, Pranab Mukherjee said: "Mr Advani was imagining things when he spoke earlier of early polls."