Pranab looks set for easy win
NEW DELHI, June 21:
NDA and Left parties split today over the Presidential poll as some of their constituents pledged support to UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee who appears set for a runaway victory over P A Sangma, backed by BJP, AIADMK and BJD.
As momentum for the July 19 poll picked up, BJP announced support for Sangma while its major ally JD(U) expressed backing for Mukherjee, becoming the second ally after Shiv Sena to break ranks with the NDA.
Showing deep divisions between BJP and JD(U) over the issue, leaders of the two parties held separate press conferences within an hour of each other to announce support for rival candidates.
The poll to elect the country’s 13th President also divided Left parties, with CPI-M and Forward Bloc deciding to support Mukherjee while CPI and RSP opting to abstain from the voting.
Mukherjee, with support of JD(U), CPI(M) and Forward Bloc, now has at least 6.29 lakh assured votes out of nearly 11 lakh votes, well beyond the required number of 5,49,442.
Sangma, with support from NDA is expected to garner only 3.10 lakh votes but the possibility of some cross-voting was not ruled out as the exercise will be conducted through secret ballot.
BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley said the party decided to support Sangma, whose candidature has been proposed by AIADMK and BJD, after trying unsuccessfully to evolve a consensus within NDA on it.
They noted that JD(U) and Shiv Sena had not agreed on supporting Sangma and instead backed Mukherjee but insisted that it will have no impact on the “mature” coalition of NDA.
Swaraj and Jaitley argued that it was BJP’s duty, being the main Opposition, not to allow a “walkover” to UPA, which did not “consult” it before announcing its candidate.
Soon after, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav announced support for Mukherjee and said his party was against any contest after former President A P J Abdul Kalam refused to enter the fray.
Seeking to justify BJP’s decision to have a contest despite some major allies being against it, Jaitley said his party could not support a Government which is using “various manoeuvres”, including investigative agencies, for “keeping one political class” to stay in power.
“We regret we could not persuade our allies…We hope they will review their position,” Jaitley said.
When referred to the fact that even BJP leaders like Maneka Gandhi and B S Yeddyurappa had supported Mukherjee’s candidature, Swaraj said such things happened before the party took a decision and now everyone will speak in one voice.
She said BJP would try to bring Trinamool, which broke ranks with UPA, also on board and talks were on for it.
Describing Sangma as “the country’s tall leader” besides North East’s “tallest leader”, Swaraj appealed to Shiv Sena and JD-U to give up their opposition to his candidature.
UPA, without TMC, has vote share of 4.12 lakh. However, with the support of SP’s 66,688 votes, BSP’s 45,473, JD(U)’s 40,737, Shiv Sena’s 18,495 and JD(S)’s 6,138 and CPI(M)-Forward Bloc combine’s 41,000, Mukherjee can muster 6.29 lakh votes much beyond the required number of 5,49,442 votes.
On the other hand, undivided NDA had 3.04 lakh votes, which came down to 2.43 after JD(U) and Shiv Sena broke ranks. AIADMK and BJD have 36,920 and 30,125 votes. In effect, Sangma can garner 3.10 lakh votes.
Trinamool Congress has 45,925 votes but the party is yet to decide on whom to support.
Swaraj and Jaitley regretted that BJP could not persuade its allies and have a consensus in the NDA over the issue but insisted that it would have no impact on the coalition.
To press the point, Swaraj noted that Shiv Sena had earlier also voted for UPA nominee Pratibha Patil during the last Presidential poll even though NDA had opposed her candidature but it still remained part of the alliance.
Sharad Yadav took pains to emphasise that his party is still with NDA but under the present circumstances, they are backing a candidate on whom a “consensus” has been arrived at.
“We are not supporting a Congress candidate. Under the present circumstances, we are supporting a UPA candidate for whom there is a consensus,” he said.
The JD(U) chief said there was a consensus within the NDA till former President Kalam was in the race. “However, after Kalam’s exit, there were different opinions and names.”
Welcoming BJP’s support, Sangma appealed to JD(U) and Shiv Sena to back him. He said other NDA allies like Akali Dal, JMM and other smaller parties have assured their support to him.
On Trinamool, he said he had talked to its chief and was “very very hopeful that Mamata will be with me,” he said.
NCP, which Sangma quit yesterday to contest the election, slammed him for becoming a candidate for “communal forces”.
Party spokesman D P Tripathi said the development also showed the “bankruptcy” of BJP that they had to “import” a candidate from UPA
Four Left parties, whose top leaders including Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), A B Bardhan (CPI), T J Chandrachoodan (RSP) and Debabrata Biswas (FB), held a meeting here, also failed to arrive at a consensus.
Karat said his party has decided to support Mukherjee as “in the present situation, he is the candidate for the post of President with the widest possible acceptance”.
Forward Bloc General Secretary Debabrata Biswas said his party was not in favour of abstaining from the voting.
RSP General Secretary T J Chandrachoodan said his party will abstain from the voting.
Congress slammed BJP for supporting “borrowed” candidate Sangma just for the sake of a contest and rejected as “childish” its complaint that it was not consulted before UPA zeroed in on Mukherjee. (PTI)
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