Despite being criticised by the Opposition Congress for its “immature” political intellect on the presidential elections, the ruling BJD on Saturday said it will support the former Lok Sabha member and NCP leader P.A. Sangma for the country’s top post.
The announcement came after chief minister and the BJD president Naveen Patnaik convened a crucial meeting of senior leaders of the party at his residence to discuss the presidential elections.
“Till now, the BJD sticks to its earlier stand and there is no change in our decision on the presidential poll. The party, as announced by the chief minister earlier, will extend its support for Mr Sangma, a prominent tribal leader,” BJD parliamentary party leader and former Union minister Arjun Sethi said after the meeting. BJD vice-president and state finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai said the party had proposed Mr Sangma’s name for the top post taking into consideration his stature as a tribal leader for which he was respected across the country. “The BJD supports P.A Sangma for the post as he represents the tribal communities of the country. There is no question of changing our decision. However, we are keeping a close eye on the developments at the national level,” Mr Ghadei said.
He added that in case the former Lok Sabha leader opted out of the race, the BJD supremo and senior leaders of the party would take a fresh look on the matter.
Sources said the BJD core committee members would meet in the evening to take stock of the latest developments in New Delhi on the Presidential polls.
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‘We hope Mamata backs Mukherjee’
Age Correspondent
New Delhi, June 16
Union minister Sri Prakash Jaiswal on Saturday hoped Ms Banerjee would accept Mr Mukherjee’s candidature like the other UPA partners. “People give their candidature (sic). After that, whatever decision is taken with consensus, everybody accepts it. Mamata is our very senior leader and we hope that she will also accept it. If everybody agrees, the whole coalition agrees, then I think she will also agree,” Mr Jaiswal told reporters.
NCP leader and Union minister Praful Patel was quoted by a news agency as saying in response to a question: “We will react if he (Sangma) pursues his candidature.”
Maintaining that the party line was to support UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee “unconditionally”, Mr Patel said, “The NCP’s stated position is that we do not subscribe to his (Sangma’s) candidature. We will react only if he files his nomination,” adding, “Let me make it very clear that Mr Sangma does not enjoy the support of the NCP. We wish that he does not contest... I don’t think he should defy the party’s direction or line of thinking.”