‘Rashtrapati Bhavan being used as a dumping ground for Pranab’
New Delhi/MUMBAI: The Election Commission on Tuesday rejected opposition candidate PA Sangma’s plea against the decision of the returning officer for the presidential election accepting the nomination papers of UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee, official sources said.
The BJP said it would decide soon whether to approach the Supreme Court against the decision.
“Your petition is not maintainable before the Election Commission,” said the poll panel in a letter to Sangma’s lawyer Satyapal Jain Tuesday in response to the petition.
Sangma, supported by the BJP, last week demanded that Mukherjee’s nomination be rejected as he was holding an office of profit as chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) when he filed his papers June 28. Mukherjee has refuted the charge.
Meanwhile, sharpening his attack on UPA rival Pranab Mukherjee, Sangma on Tuesday said Rashtrapati Bhavan was being used as a “dumping ground” for the “failed” former finance minister.
“The Raisina Hill is being used as a dumping ground for the failed finance minister,” Sangma, who was here to mobilise support for his Presidential bid, told reporters. Asked if he was confident of a victory, Sangma said, “There are no ifs. I will win. I have never lost an election in my life. My winning margin has always increased.” Sangma appealed to Congress ally NCP and NDA constituent Shiv Sena, which has already declared support for Pranab Mukherjee, to back him. “I have come here to appeal to parties, specially NCP and Bal Thackeray to support my candidature.” On whether he would be meeting Thackeray, Sangma said, “Not everything in politics happens through meetings. Like you (media) have channels, we also have channels.” Sangma said he had served as a minister under three Prime Ministers but found the Vajpayee-led NDA government to be better. “NDA government under Vajpayee performed very well. No one can deny that,” he said. Describing law minister Salman Khurshid’s reported comments that Congress was lacking in “ideological direction” as the “beginning of a political churning,” Sangma said there would be a lot more “upheavals” in the days ahead. “Despite making these remarks, how is Khurshid continuing in the Union Cabinet. Why is he not being sacked. This means that it is not he but 10, Janpath which is saying these things,” he claimed.
“I have been saying that this poll is going to be a political churner. The churning has started with Khurshid’s statement,” Sangma said. Sangma lamented that despite his contributions to the growth of NCP, the party decided not to back him in the Presidential election.
Describing NCP chief Sharad Pawar as a “very shrewd politician,” Sangma said, “I have in my own humble way, contributed to the growth of that party. The least I can expect is support.”