Everyone should vote by conscience in Prez polls: Sangma

[1]

NDA backed Presidential candidate P.A. Sangma on Wednesday said that presidential elections were not held on party lines and every body has a right to vote according to their conscience.

"Today I have come to appeal to all MPs and MLAs. Presidential elections are not held on the basis of political parties, it is above political party," Sangma told reporters. He said that in presidential elections a candidate is not of a political party.

"Pranab Mukherjee is not a Congress candidate. He has resigned from the party and is contesting as an independent. I am also an independent candidate," he said.

As per the constitution, presidential elections are held through secret ballot and whip is not issued by any political party, Sangma said.

"If a whip is issued by any party it is not valid," he added. "Everybody has a right to vote according to his conscience. In 1969, conscience voting took place in which V.V. Giri won. I appeal to everyone again," he said.

He said that a meeting of his legal team would be held in the evening at his residence which would be attended by Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy.

The Election Commission yesterday rejected the petition Sangma's camp against UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee's nomination saying the same was not maintainable before it.

The Sangma camp had petitioned the EC against the decision of the Presidential poll Returning Officer of accepting the nomination papers of UPA candidate Mukherjee, despite their objections to the same on the ground that he allegedly occupied an office of profit.