The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate Pranab Mukherjee’s nomination-filing for the 14th presidential election on Thursday turned out to be a show of strength for the Congress party, as leaders from most of its allies, from Mulayam Singh Yadav to Laloo Yadav, were present at the occasion.
Accompanied by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress scion Rahul Gandhi, a beaming Mukherjee filed his papers for the July 19 race, in which he is a clear front-runner.
Significantly, Mukherjee’s candidature is supported by the Janata Dal (United), whose leader Sharad Yadav, is the convenor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The BJP, the principal opposition party, has thrown its weight behind former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma in the contest.
While leaders from UPA allies like the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam also turned up to show their support for Mukherjee, both the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Shiv Sena, the two opposition parties declared that they would extend their support to the UPA nominee, stayed away.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, who opposed Mukherjee’s candidature, was also absent.
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Mukherjee said he and several other Congress leaders had appealed to Banerjee to change her mind. “I seek the support of all those including, (the) Trinamool Congress, who have not yet decided,” he said.
Sangma also made his nomination-filing a big show on Thursday. The top brass of BJP, including L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Nitin Gadkari, were present. Besides, Biju Janata Dal chief Naveen Patnaik and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal were also present to back Sangma.
Mukherjee was in a relaxed and jovial mood as he filed four sets of nomination papers before Rajya Sabha Secretary General V K Agnihotri, also the returning officer for the presidential election.
“I am extremely honoured and feel humbled to get the opportunity to join the rank of those great stalwarts, who built modern India, gave an excellent Constitution and a multi-party democracy,” Mukherjee told reporters after filing the papers.
Echoing his mood of confidence, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, also the UPA candidate’s campaign manager, said: “He (Mukherjee) will get votes beyond anyone’s imagination. It’s a one-sided affair. He will get a thumping majority.”
Although Sangma’s victory in the election is highly unlikely, BJP has pitched this presidential race as an opportunity to start looking for new allies in the 2014 race.
Sangma’s name was initially proposed by Odisha Chief Minister Patnaik, a former NDA ally, and then supported by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, another former ally. The BJP later decided to back him.
This is the first time since 2009, when the BJD walked out of the NDA, that party is joining hands with NDA partners. Senior BJP leaders are hopeful this could be the beginning of a come-back of old allies, strengthening the NDA before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Sangma’s daughter, Agatha Sangma, a minister in the UPA government, stayed away from her father’s nomination event. Sources said her party, NCP, had asked her not to associate with Sangma’s election campaign.
Both candidates will hold their country-wide campaigns from June 30 to July 15.