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Sangma puts faith in hidden votes
Former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma on Saturday defended his Presidential aspirations, without endorsement of his own party, the NCP, saying he was banking on many hidden votes to ensure a tribal debuts in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“I have lots of votes, a large number of hidden votes, as it is a secret ballot,” said an optimistic Sangma when members of Indian Women’s Press Corps asked him about his chances, especially since not only UPA, but even NCP was not supporting him.
Sangma pointed out that Samajwadi Party, Left parties, ADMK and other regional formations would be the deciding factor, since neither UPA nor NDA have the numbers.
As Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and her Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik have already endorsed his candidature, Sangma said he is now meeting various other party leaders, including Left and BJP, and hopes to emerge a consensus candidate.
Explaining NCP’s predicament, Sangma noted that though it is a UPA partner at the Centre and in Maharashtra, it is Opposition in Meghalaya. Being NCP MLA from Meghalaya, Sangma said he was not part of the UPA, but asserted that his daughter Agatha, being a Minister at the Centre, was UPA and hence would not campaign for him. However, he remained evasive on whether she would vote for her father or not, emphasising that it was a secret ballot.
Despite his efforts to get Congress support — for which he has even sought an appointment with party president Sonia Gandhi — Sangma is unrepentant over raking up her foreign origin issue.
He pointed out that he had already apologised for “misreading her intention” after Sonia refused to become Prime Minister. The NCP leader asserted he always believed only an Indian born citizen should be President or PM.
He flayed the Congress for fielding 10 tribal leaders, led by former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, to counter his candidature on grounds that the latter’s credentials as a tribal have been challenged in court. Sangma appealed to the party to “use pure and not doubted tribals”.
On possible UPA contender Pranab Mukherjee, Sangma reiterated the “truth” — the Finance Minister “is too qualified to be the President”. Despite excellence in statistics and administration, “Pranab is not very good in elections,” Sangma said, citing his lone Lok Sabha polls victory.
The NCP leader did not spare Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He said according to the Constitution’s spirit, the PM should be from Lok Sabha to establish authority. He pointed out the UPA’s declining performance and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and DMK hitting the streets as a sign of Singh lacking authority.
Sangma also recounted how the idea of a tribal becoming President was inspired by Barack Obama becoming US President. He said a tribal President would fulfill aspirations of adivasis and help root out insurgency and Naxalism. However, he also admitted playing politics of symbolism.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma on Saturday defended his Presidential aspirations, without endorsement of his own party, the NCP, saying he was banking on many hidden votes to ensure a tribal debuts in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“I have lots of votes, a large number of hidden votes, as it is a secret ballot,” said an optimistic Sangma when members of Indian Women’s Press Corps asked him about his chances, especially since not only UPA, but even NCP was not supporting him.
Sangma pointed out that Samajwadi Party, Left parties, ADMK and other regional formations would be the deciding factor, since neither UPA nor NDA have the numbers.
As Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and her Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik have already endorsed his candidature, Sangma said he is now meeting various other party leaders, including Left and BJP, and hopes to emerge a consensus candidate.
Explaining NCP’s predicament, Sangma noted that though it is a UPA partner at the Centre and in Maharashtra, it is Opposition in Meghalaya. Being NCP MLA from Meghalaya, Sangma said he was not part of the UPA, but asserted that his daughter Agatha, being a Minister at the Centre, was UPA and hence would not campaign for him. However, he remained evasive on whether she would vote for her father or not, emphasising that it was a secret ballot.
Despite his efforts to get Congress support — for which he has even sought an appointment with party president Sonia Gandhi — Sangma is unrepentant over raking up her foreign origin issue.
He pointed out that he had already apologised for “misreading her intention” after Sonia refused to become Prime Minister. The NCP leader asserted he always believed only an Indian born citizen should be President or PM.
He flayed the Congress for fielding 10 tribal leaders, led by former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, to counter his candidature on grounds that the latter’s credentials as a tribal have been challenged in court. Sangma appealed to the party to “use pure and not doubted tribals”.
On possible UPA contender Pranab Mukherjee, Sangma reiterated the “truth” — the Finance Minister “is too qualified to be the President”. Despite excellence in statistics and administration, “Pranab is not very good in elections,” Sangma said, citing his lone Lok Sabha polls victory.
The NCP leader did not spare Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He said according to the Constitution’s spirit, the PM should be from Lok Sabha to establish authority. He pointed out the UPA’s declining performance and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and DMK hitting the streets as a sign of Singh lacking authority.
Sangma also recounted how the idea of a tribal becoming President was inspired by Barack Obama becoming US President. He said a tribal President would fulfill aspirations of adivasis and help root out insurgency and Naxalism. However, he also admitted playing politics of symbolism.
