From Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi: Despite UPA Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee gathering more and more support, Purno A Sangma still remains in the fray with continued support of two regional parties and hoping for ‘positive’ signal from the Opposition NDA.
A day after Mukherjee was declared as the Congress-led UPA’s sole candidate, Sangma told newspersons that he is still in the race.
“My name has been proposed by two powerful regional parties who are in touch with me,” he said.
“Many smaller parties, tribal and minority organisations are in touch with me and I cannot let them down with any unilateral action,” Sangma said.
He also played down the directive from his own party NCP to withdraw from the race, saying there is a long way to go.
On Saturday Sangma met several political leaders and held consultations on the latest situation.
But numerically, Mukherjee remains way ahead since the ruling and opposition camps was tilted with the support of the Samajwadi Party which has many MPs and vast majority in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly which has the biggest vote bank.
Even BSP’s Mayawati had announced her support to Dada and many others have followed suit.
The BJP-led NDA is in double mind considering the possibility of a fractured verdict in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the role the then President will play.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who first raised the flag of revolt within the UPA, has been isolated with no others coming to her support for former President APJ Abdul Kalam. She is also apprehensive of a backlash in her home state if she continues opposing Pranab, the first Bengali who is set to ascend to the country’s highest office.