Bharath: Warner a jumping jack

“This is not surprising. Mr Warner has a penchant of jumping from horse to horse during a race to see which one reaches the finish line first,” Bharath said. Bharath added that he would not be surprised if Warner were to switch allegiance midway through the campaign if Persad-Bissessar’s fortunes change.

Panday’s daughter, Oropouche West MP Mickela Panday, declined to comment on Persad-Bissessar’s campaign. “You don’t expect me to answer that,” she said. Mickela added that other UNC MPs will make their positions clear in due course. Her father left the country earlier this week for England to spend his Christmas vacation. Efforts to contact him yesterday were unsuccessful.

Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal said he was chairman of a committee planning strategy for Panday’s campaign and would not directly comment on Persad-Bissessar’s campaign. He added that Warner’s announcement was just part of the democratic process that was taking place in the UNC.

“I prefer not to comment,” was Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh’s response to Persad-Bissessar’s leadership bid and Warner’s support for her. Gopeesingh, the incumbent UNC CEO, declined to say whether he would be contesting any elected post on the party’s executive next month. The post of CEO is a nominated one.

Incumbent party treasurer, Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma, was also non-committal about whom he would be supporting for leadership of the UNC or if he would be standing for re-election. ‘I have not yet decided,” Sharma said.