Prez poll: Sharad Pawar to persuade Sangma

Pune/Bhubaneswar, June 17 (ANI): Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief

arad Pawar has said that he would persuade former Lok Sabha speaker and fellow party leader P.A. Sangma to withdraw his candidature for the presidential poll.

"My party is going to meet on 21st (June) and my party will take an appropriate decision about that. We are confident that he will listen to the party. He is a senior person. He was speaker of the Lok Sabha. I am confident that if the party makes a decision he will respect that," Pawar told media in Pune on Saturday.

Sangma had earlier on Friday said he is still in the race for Rashtrapati Bhavan, but as a tribal candidate, and not as a NCP leader

"I am very much in the race. I will remain in the race. He never told me that there is a message from Mr. Sharad Pawar requesting me to withdraw from the race, he did not tell me. He only asked me whether I am still in the race," said Sangma, when asked to comment on his meeting with NCP leader D.P. Tripathi.

"I am standing not as a NCP candidate. I am standing on behalf of 100 million adivasis of this nation," he added.

Sangma pointed out that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had proposed his name as a candidate for the residential poll.

Sangma, who has been campaigning on the ground that the country should have a tribal president, has so far met various political leaders including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Lal Krishna Advani.

The NCP has reportedly decided to back UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee for the prestigious post.

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, however, continues to back Sangma for the coveted post of President of India, saying his choice for the country's highest position is 'succinct' and 'appropriate'.

"Of course, you know very clearly that Mr. Sangma has been announced succinctly and appropriately by me as the candidate for that highest post of our land of India and his own position is that of a very distinguished person," Patnaik told media in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

"So, I had announced quite clearly that he should be the best candidate from my party for the position of President for the Republic of India," he added.

Lauding the efforts of Sangma, Patnaik praised his ability for serving important positions with such dignity.

"Since you have asked me, as you know, from this very building, the secretariat here in Bhubaneswar, I had announced for the Rashtrapati (president) candidate of my party for the presidential candidate for my party, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is Sangma," said Patnaik.

"I am sure all of you know that he is a very distinguished person, he served in many important positions for our country," he added.

Patnaik further said that Sangma not only represents the tribal community, but is also a capable leader and has impressed everyone already when he held important positions earlier.

"He has been the speaker of the Lok Sabha. I was an MP when he was in that position and of course, we were all so impressed and indeed as MPs, we understood his education, high intelligence of the gentleman, Sangma, who is the candidate of my party, which I announced very clearly in the middle of last month, which is May. All of you know that he is a tribal gentleman," he said.

The presidential elections will be held on July 19. The vote count will take place on July 22.

Pratibha Devisingh Patil's term as President ends on July 24.(ANI)