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New Delhi:
Former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma may have got the backing of the BJD and the AIADMK for his candidature for President, but it is still not clear whether his own party, the NCP, will support his bid.
According to Mr Sangma, NCP chief Sharad Pawar told him at a meeting this morning that since his party is a part of the UPA government, its stand on the issue will be consistent with it.
Mr Pawar's party is a key ally of the Congress-led UPA at the Centre since May 2004. The two parties also share power in Maharashtra since 2009. Mr Pawar had recently met Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who has been holding consultations with UPA constituents and allies over the presidential election.
Echoing Mr Pawar's stand, NCP leader Praful Patel said yesterday that his party does not have the mandate to propose anyone's name. "We know our limitations with the number of MPs and MLAs we have," he had said.
Yesterday, after Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's BJD and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK said they would endorse Mr Sangma's candidature, he said, "I am extremely grateful to both of them and I hope others also support it. We had a meeting earlier where we made an appeal that a tribal leader be made the President. We are so happy it's getting a good response from veterans. I also met Mulayam Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan."
"Pranab Mukherjee is very qualified, but like him many others have also been there. So this time we want a tribal leader to be the President," he added.
Ms Jayalalithaa today asked all parties to "rise above political considerations" and support the tribal leader for the top job. "I now appeal to all political parties to rise above political considerations and support Sangma and ensure that he becomes the next President of India," she said.
Mr Sangma's addition to list of names under consideration for the presidential polls comes at a time when both the Congress and the BJP are trying to rally support from their allies and evolve a consensus on a candidate.
The elections will be held in June, but no dates have been announced yet.
The Congress has reportedly shortlisted Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Hamid Ansari as the candidate of the ruling UPA coalition, though Congress President Sonia Gandhi has said that no names have been finalised yet.
The election for President is a significant battle ahead of the general elections in 2014, and offers the BJP a chance to take on the Congress. The BJP has said it will not support a Congress-backed candidate. But even its key ally, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has indicated that his party would be in favour of supporting a candidate who is accepted by most parties.
The President is selected by a system of proportional representation. The votes of MPs are put at par with those of elected members in different state legislatures. This gives considerable say to regional parties who have delivered impressive results in recent elections like Ms Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party.
According to Mr Sangma, NCP chief Sharad Pawar told him at a meeting this morning that since his party is a part of the UPA government, its stand on the issue will be consistent with it.
Mr Pawar's party is a key ally of the Congress-led UPA at the Centre since May 2004. The two parties also share power in Maharashtra since 2009. Mr Pawar had recently met Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who has been holding consultations with UPA constituents and allies over the presidential election.
Echoing Mr Pawar's stand, NCP leader Praful Patel said yesterday that his party does not have the mandate to propose anyone's name. "We know our limitations with the number of MPs and MLAs we have," he had said.
Yesterday, after Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's BJD and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK said they would endorse Mr Sangma's candidature, he said, "I am extremely grateful to both of them and I hope others also support it. We had a meeting earlier where we made an appeal that a tribal leader be made the President. We are so happy it's getting a good response from veterans. I also met Mulayam Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan."
"Pranab Mukherjee is very qualified, but like him many others have also been there. So this time we want a tribal leader to be the President," he added.
Ms Jayalalithaa today asked all parties to "rise above political considerations" and support the tribal leader for the top job. "I now appeal to all political parties to rise above political considerations and support Sangma and ensure that he becomes the next President of India," she said.
Mr Sangma's addition to list of names under consideration for the presidential polls comes at a time when both the Congress and the BJP are trying to rally support from their allies and evolve a consensus on a candidate.
The elections will be held in June, but no dates have been announced yet.
The Congress has reportedly shortlisted Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Hamid Ansari as the candidate of the ruling UPA coalition, though Congress President Sonia Gandhi has said that no names have been finalised yet.
The election for President is a significant battle ahead of the general elections in 2014, and offers the BJP a chance to take on the Congress. The BJP has said it will not support a Congress-backed candidate. But even its key ally, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has indicated that his party would be in favour of supporting a candidate who is accepted by most parties.
The President is selected by a system of proportional representation. The votes of MPs are put at par with those of elected members in different state legislatures. This gives considerable say to regional parties who have delivered impressive results in recent elections like Ms Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party.
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