Jayalalithaa, Naveen support Sangma for President, but Pawar not enthusiastic
Race to Rastrapati Bhavan hots up
Source: The Sangai Express / Agencies

Bhubaneswar, May 17 2012: Odisha chief minister and Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik on Thursday announced his party's support for former Lok Sabha Speaker and senior NCP leader Purno Agitok Sangma as candidate for the President's elections in July.

Naveen said he had spoken to AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa about Sangma's candidature.

"The BJD thinks Sangma ought to be the candidate for the highest post (in our country)...for the Rashtrapati Bhavan," Naveen told media persons here.

"I had received a letter from Sangma, discussed it with the chief minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa and also consulted senior BJD leaders," Naveen said, describing 64-year-old Sangma as a "distinguished tribal leader" who has occupied the post of Lok Sabha Speaker.

He added that it was befitting for BJD to support Sangma as nearly a quarter of Odisha's 4.2 crore population are tribals.

Naveen's announcement came about a week after he visited Chennai and met his Tamil Nadu counterpart Jayalalithaa.

His growing bonhomie with Jayalalithaa, who has described Naveen as a 'brother', in recent months had provided grist to political mills that the two regional satraps were coming together to fashion a 'non-UPA, non-NDA' alternative ahead of the 2014 general elections.

Comrades in arms : PA Sangma, Jayalalithaa and Naveen Patnaik

Naveen had on February 15 expressed the need for an alternative to the two major political fronts in the country, terming UPA as 'corrupt' and NDA as 'communally tainted'.

Naveen and Jayalalithaa along with West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee had earlier joined hands in opposing the controversial National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and also in criticizing the UPA government on the issue of payment of compensation to state governments for reduction in central sales tax (CST) rates.

The BJD's decision to back Sangma followed his daughter and Union minister of state Agatha Sangma calling on Naveen in Bhubaneswar and Jayalalithaa in Chennai, ostensibly to elicit support for his father's aspirations to succeed Pratibha Patil.

BJD, it may be noted, had entered into a pre-electoral pact with NCP, of which Sangma is a founder member, during the 2009 elections in Odisha.

Naveen, who since the beginning of this year has been making apparent his intentions to play a bigger role in national politics, had stoked speculation about former West Bengal governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi being in the race for the Rashtrapati Bhavan by meeting him twice, once in Bhubaneswar on April 24 and again in Chennai on May 10, in close succession.

However, Naveen, as is his wont, sprung a surprise by throwing his weight behind ex-Union minister Sangma, who is currently a legislator in Meghalaya.

BJD backing Sangma's candidature seems a clever political move as it would make it difficult for the Congress to keep the UPA together during the presidential polls.

As Sangma's NCP is part of UPA, the Sharad Pawar-led party could put hurdles in the path of Congress fielding either Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee or vice president Hamid Ansari.

In addition, the AIADMK has decided to support the candidature of former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma for the the office of the President.

This was declared in a press statement by party supremo and Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday.

"During the past 60 years of the Indian republic, while eminent personalities belonging to various communities and diverse walks of life have graced the office of the Rashtrapathi, no one belonging to a tribal community has had the opportunity so far.

Sangma not only belongs to a tribal community but is also eminently qualified to be the President our great nation," the statement said.

Meanwhile, NCP on Thursday virtually disowned attempts by its party leader P A Sangma to enter the Presidential race even as BJD and AIADMK announced their support to his candidature.

"I am not aware of any such development.

Sangma has not spoken to us.

We have had no discussions.

We feel that with such a limited strength, we cannot aspire for such a major post," party chief and Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said.

Pawar's party is a key ally of the Congress-led UPA at the Centre since May 2004 and the two parties are also sharing power in Maharashtra since 2009.He had sometime back met Congress president Sonia Gandhi who has been holding consultations with UPA constituents and allies over the Presidential election.