Sangma banks on ‘conscience vote’
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Union Minister of State for Water Resources and Minority Affairs Vincent Pala on Saturday gave a new twist to the ongoing drama over the candidature of Purno Sangma for the Presidential polls.
Talking to media persons here on Saturday, Pala said, “There was no discussion in the Tribal Forum over putting up a tribal candidate and I don’t know which forum he (Sangma) is representing in the elections.”
While filing his papers for the July 19 Presidential elections, Sangma had claimed that he is a candidate sponsored by the Tribal Forum of India, nominated by the chief ministers of Odisha and Tamil Nadu and backed by BJP and other NDA allies.
According to Pala, the Tribal Forum had a meeting in New Delhi recently. “I do not remember having any discussion about him on this issue, I do not know what tribal forum he is talking about,” Pala said.
“The elections for the Presidential poll should be based on party lines and not on region or geographical area,” Pala added.
It may be mentioned that the Congress had suspended tribal leader and former Union minister from Madhya Pradesh, Arvind Netam, on Thursday for backing Purno A Sangma in the presidential race.
Meanwhile, Pala asserted that out of 543 members, Congress has more than 200, adding that division exists among the NDA and its allies too.
Meanwhile, Purno A Sangma on Saturday banked on “vote by conscience” for his race to the top constitutional post of the country.
“People are talking about Congress who has got so many votes and BJP, but ultimately at the end of the race you will be surprised by the vote which I will get,” Sangma, on way to his home town Tura, told reporters at the Borjhar international airport here. “I have contested Lok Sabha election from Tura for nine times and assembly election two times and never got defeated. I think the same trend will continue”, a confident former Lok Sabha speaker said. “I am a tribal leader and a Christian and believe in miracles and hope that this will go in my favour”, he said when asked about his chance of making it to Rashtrapati Bhavan. The senior leader from the North East hoped that the parties from the North East will back his candidature in the interest of the region.
Sangma sets up Prez poll management committee
P A Sangma has also set up an election management committee comprising of MPs from parties supporting him to assist him in his campaign for the July 19 poll. While the ten-member committee will be co-chaired by former Congress leader Arvind Netam and AIADMK’s M Thambidurai, Janata Party President Subramanium Swamy will be his “personal advisor”. The former Lok Sabha Speaker, who filed his nomination papers supported by BJP, AIADMK, SAD, BJD and AGP on June 28, will launch his campaign from Tura on Sunday. BJP has already assigned S S Ahluwalia and Ananth Kumar to assist Sangma in his campaign. While Ahluwalia is his spokesperson, Kumar is his advisor in the committee. Others in the panel include B Mahtab (BJD), who is his election agent, Naresh Gujral (SAD), former Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga (Mizo National Front), Deepak Kumaqr Das (AGP), former Meghalaya CM Donkupar Roy and Independent MP K L Meena from Rajasthan. (With inputs from PTI)
