Opposition-backed presidential candidate P.A. Sangma interacted with BJP MLAs and MPs in Jaipur on Monday to solicit their votes. Mr Sangma also made an attempt to woo tribal votes as he addressed a gathering of tribals people at Independent MP Kirodi Lal Meena’s residence.
Mr Sangma said though he is member of the Nationalist Congress Party [NCP] but in North East, the NCP and Congress are at loggerheads.
Mr Sangma was welcomed by senior BJP leaders including Leader of Opposition Vasund-hara Raje and state BJP chief Arun Chaturvedi when he reached Jaipur.
He visited the BJP office and later addressed the party MLAs.
Talking to media persons at BJP office, Mr Sangma said Pranab Mukherjee is not a UPA or Congress candidate but is contesting independently.
He said CMs like Mr Naveen Patnaik, Ms J. Jayalai-thaa and Mr Prakash Singh Badal had responded positively to him.
He recalled that he was the first among the tribals to become a Cabinet minister and subsequently the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Mr Sangma made an appeal to the tribals to get united. He was accorded a warm welcome when he arrived at Dausa MP Kirodi Lal Meena’s residence. “It does not matter what will be the outcome of the elections but I will remain with the tribals,” he said.
Mr Kirodi Lal Meena sent an appeal to all tribal MPs and MLAs requesting them to vote for Mr Sangma but his plea on tribal card failed to impress the representatives. The state has 31 tribal MLAs and 21 of them belong to the ruling Congress.
‘’We are not impressed by Sangma’s tribal appeal, we will vote for the UPA candidate,” said Lal Shankar Ghatiya, a Congress MLA from tribal-dominated Dungarpur. Tribal MLAs like Sajan Katara, Basanti Meena and Surendra Kumar echoed the same sentiments.