After Jaya’s call, BJP mulls Sangma as President

Last Updated: Monday, May 21, 2012, 12:55

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Tags: Jayalalithaa, BJP, PA Sangma, Presidential polls

After Jaya’s call, BJP mulls Sangma as President

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi: A day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa contacted top leaders of several non-Congress parties including BJP veteran LK Advani, seeking their support for former Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma's candidature for presidency, the saffron party on Monday held a meeting with NDA leaders to reach a final decision on who the party will support in the race for presidency.

It is being said that Advani is believed to have told AIADMK chief that he was "positively inclined" towards Sangma personally but a decision would only be taken only after consultations within the party.

Jayalalithaa spoke over telephone to Advani, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat, CPI leader AB Bardhan, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, Shironmani Akali Dal leader and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, an AIADMK release said.

As part of the "intensified efforts" to garner support for Sangma, Jayalalithaa spoke to these leaders seeking their support the tribal leader from the Northeast who "has all the qualifications" (to become President) in the coming Presidential polls, it said.

In a coordinated move, Jayalalithaa and her Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik on May 17 announced their joint support to Sangma.

Interestingly, the Nationalist Congress Party, to which Sangma belongs, however, has ruled out supporting his candidature, saying it would go with the UPA being a part of it.

Meanwhile, it is being learnt that West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is not likely to endorse veteran Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee as the next incumbent of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Reports, today, claimed that the firebrand West Bengal leader has made it clear in an interview to a leading TV news channel that her party will not endorse Congress veteran Pranab Mukherjee for the highest constitutional post even if he becomes the UPA’s presidential candidate.

Making her stand clear on the issue, she hinted that Pranab is not her top favourite for the job and instead she prefers Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, West Bengal Governor Gopal Gandhi and former president APJ Abdul Kalam for the President’s post.

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First Published: Monday, May 21, 2012, 12:37

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Petrus - Mumbai
Soon, the whole world will start thinking that in India, only minorities live. They only see a Sikh PM, a bauni President, a white Congress president etc. What they never see: Hindus. This is the image Congress wants to create to foreigners: that India is NOT a Hindu country. I don`t understand why BJP wants to cooperate with this distorted image of India.

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Jagdip Jain - delhi
though not possible,the President should be elected directly by the people of the country,to have indepedent attitude and decision.

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T S K CHAKRAVARTHY - KAKINADA
Politicians Should not be Selected For President Post, It Should be Like ABDUL KALAM

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VENUGOPAL GOPALAKRISHNAN - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
Shocked by the demand of the Joint Christian Council that the next President of India,should be a Christian.We already have a Sikh Prime Minister.We should not forget the fact that India is a Sovereign Democratic Secular Republic.India is a nation of more than a billion people belonging to an unorganised group being remote controlled by a christian,a rare feature indeed.We actually require a people friendly President who can preserve,protect and defend our constitution,during any crisis.The august office of the President of India,once decorated by Shri Rajendra Prasad and Dr.S.Radhakrishnan,should not be allowed to be trivialised by political cynicism and opportunism of the unscrupulous politicians.The President of India should be a non-partisan eminent personality with an international reputation,sterling character and proven service to the nation.