SEVERAL top United National Congress (UNC) officials, activists and even MPs say they will “cross the floor” over to the Winston Dookeran camp if former Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday comes back as Political Leader of the party.

Panday, sources told TnT Mirror is inching his way back as Political Leader of the party and his first move is to be reinstated as party chairman at the party’s National Assembly at Rienzi Complex, Couva, on Saturday (August 19).

Some MPs in Panday’s corner are confused as to the former Opposition Leader’s plan, since he had indicated he was retiring from active politics after he was jailed for two years earlier this year for failing to declare his London bank account while he was Prime Minister between 1995-2000.

Panday had handed over leadership to Dookeran but after the party’s executive election, Dookeran was sidelined.

Two factions emerged in the UNC -- one in support of Dookeran, the other backing Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Panday is under pressure from members of the executive not to hold unity talks with Dookeran and allow them to go ahead with a vote of “no confidence” in the leader, an activist told Mirror.

A source close to Panday said if Dookeran is kicked out of the UNC, there is no one with the support like Panday has to hold the party together.

The source said Panday feels that Opposition Leader Persad-Bissessar, Deputy Political Leader Jack Warner and former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj are “weak” and none of them has the support of UNC members to become Political Leader.

“Judging from the handful of people turning up to give Maharaj support for his Cedros to Port of Spain march, this shows that Maharaj’s only followers are the ones from the defunct Team Unity,” the source added.

“The opinion polls have shown that Persad-Bissessar, Warner and Maharaj are all at the bottom in percentage of preferred UNC leader,” the source noted.

“At the moment, Dookeran holds the lead way ahead of the other popular UNC candidates to become Prime Minister,” the source said.

The source pointed out that Panday has a large following and is hoping that he can win his appeal (two-year sentence) and bribery charges before the next general election and return as Political Leader.

On Thursday Panday came under heavy fire from a group of prominent Hindu leaders, including the Maha Sabha’s Sat Maharaj accusing him of trying to “mash up” the UNC, and pointing out that a divided UNC will not pose any threat to the People’s National Movement (PNM).

During the outbursts from some of the leaders at a closed-door meeting held at the Maha Sabha’s headquarters, St. Augustine, Panday was asked by the representatives to give his support to Dookeran to unite the party.

Another source said Panday did not take on those leaders who he felt were only speaking for themselves and not their members.

The Hindu leaders have promised to support Dookeran should he form his own party.

The UNC is reportedly spending over $500,000 in advertisements (radio and newspapers) and transportation to try and bring out the financial members to take a number of decisions.

But with the surprise backing of the powerful Hindu leadership, the Panday camp seems doomed, the source added.