NAVEEN SUPPORTS SANGMA AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

NAVEEN SUPPORTS SANGMA AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE 18/05/2012

SIDDHARTHA SHANKAR MISHRA, BUREAU CHIEF,ODISHA,
INDINO/THESE DAYS NEWS SERVICE:


The political masterstroke of Odisha Chief Minster Naveen Patnaik regarding presidential election hailed by leaders from BJD and NCP in state. It should be noted that CM Patnaik on Thursday announced that the BJD would support former Lok Sabha Speaker and NCP leader Purno A Sangma in the ensuing Presidential election.


The Odisha unit of Nationlist Congress Party (NCP) welcomed the decision of the BJD Chief to extend his party’s support to Sangma for presidential candidature.


NCP leader Amar satpathy and two other MLAs, Prashant Nanda and Ramachandra Hansda, expressed their gratitude to the Chief Minister for being the first ‘statesman’ in the country to announce his party’s support in favour of Sangma. They said Sangma, a tribal leader belonging to the Northeast is the fittest personality for the top post of the country as he had always functioned above politics, whether he was a Central Minister or Speaker of the Lok sabha. Other political parties should take cue form Naveen and show their magnanimity in supporting the candidature of Sangma, they said.


Earlier in the day CM Patnaik said that, “BJD will support PA Sangma for the President’s post”. Patnaik said, “He is the most appropriate candidate for the top post.”


Patnaik said he held discussions with his Tamil Nadu counterpart J Jayalalithaa and senior BJD leaders before taking the decision to back Sangma, who is a prominent tribal leader of the country. Patnaik told media that he had discussed the issue of supporting the candidature of Sangma with his senior party leaders including party senior vice-president and Finance Minister Prafulla Chanadra Ghadai, Health Minister Prasanna Acharya, Revenue Minister Surjya Narayan Patro, senior vice-president AU Singh Deo and frontal organisation chiefs- Mahila Biju Janata chief Pramila Mallick and BYJD chief Sanjay Dasburma who also expressed their support in favour of Sangma’s candidature.