Presidential candidate P.A. Sangma, on Wednesday, accused the Congress of misusing its powers by giving packages to some governments (read UP government) and relief to other parties (BSP) in cases related to CBI.
He said that this should be taken note of because it is designed to affect the presidential polls. Mr Sangma was in Lucknow to meet BJP MPs and MLAs and seek their support for his candidature.
He sought a “vote of conscience” from MPs and MLAs and said he was hopeful of a repeat of 1969 when Mr V.V. Giri won the presidential elections.
“The presidential polls are not held on party lines and the party whip has no validity in these elections. Mr Pranab Mukherjee is no longer Congress nominee since he has resigned from the party. He is an independent like me and voters should support me,” he said.
Asked why he was now promoting his credentials as a tribal leader, Mr Sangma said that since Independence almost all castes had got a representation in the top echelons of power but tribals had remained unrepresented.
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‘SP, BSP MLAs in touch with me’
age correspondent
Lucknow, July 11
Presidential candidate P.A. Sangma has said that some legislators from the SP and the BSP were in touch with him and there was a strong possibility of their voting for him. In an interaction with BJP MPs and MLAs on Wednesday, He said some SP and BSP legislators were in touch with him and had assured him that they would vote for him without bothering about party lines.