The YSR Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti can’t seem to decide between the two presidential candidates, Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Mr P.A. Sangma. The YSR Congress has been under pressure to support Mr Sangma in the wake of several Christian organisations from the state, including the AP Federation of Churches, campaigning for Mr Sangma’s candidature, but the equation changed with the Bharatiya Janata Party too supporting him on Thursday.
“We might have supported Sangma, but for the BJP factor,” a senior party leader told this newspaper. YSR Congress’ Central Governing Council will meet on Friday to discuss the presidential elections. “There are indications that Jagan will not take the risk of joining hands with the BJP,” the party leader said referring to the Kadapa MP’s earlier statement that he would distance himself from the saffron party.
The YSR family never hid its faith and enjoys the strong support of Christians. In the recent polls too, the Congress landed in trouble for attempting to wean away Christians from YSR Congress. The TRS too is in a similar dilemma. The party strongly believes that it was Mr Pranab Mukherjee who had put the spokes in the Centre’s plan to form Telangana after the December 9 statement of Mr Chidambaram. “We are in a dilemma. How can we support a person who is known to be anti-Telangana?” asked senior party leader Mr T. Harish Rao.