Lee said she supported Fernandez in that endeavor.

“Because Annie knew for sure that she wanted to run, she went ahead, as she should have, and came up with a contingency plan if I didn’t run,” Lee said.

According to Fernandez, the discussions she had with Dasgupta about running together were predicated on Lee’s staying out of the race.

Dasgupta says that when Fernandez called her on Sunday night and offered her the vice presidency on her ticket, Lee’s remaining on the sidelines was not mentioned as a stipulation.

But now that a Lee-Fernandez ticket is set, many on the council say it is a formidable match.

Still, two other candidates, Lauren E. Bonner ’04 and Ernani J. DeAraujo ’03, could each offer a stiff challenge.

“This is not just an open-and-shut election,” Chopra said.

Bonner’s prospects will likely be brightened by recruiting popular Adams House council representative Luke R. Long ’03 as her vice presidential running mate. In his council re-election bid this fall, Long received more votes than any other council candidate on campus.

Bonner served on the council last year, when she was a freshman, but did not seek re-election to the body this year.

“I obviously don’t think it helps her” to not be a current council member, said Stephen N. Smith ’02, a council member who ran for president last year. Still, he added, council members know Bonner from last year, and she might find many supporters there.

DeAraujo, another presidential candidate, hopes to draw on his work on behalf of a number of political and public service groups to forge a wide base of support. He says he is organizing “captains” in each house to rally support for his candidacy.

The candidates have until Friday to submit official petitions to enter the race. Campaigning is permitted to begin then.