'UNPA against voting for controversial nominee'

Hyderabad, July 17: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu today said the main reason behind the United National Progressive Alliance's (UNPA) decision to abstain from voting in the coming Presidential Election was that it did not want to support controversial candidiates for the highest post in the country.

Addressing a press conference at the Assembly premises soon after the House adjourned for the day, he said, there was no alternative available to them, except boycotting the Presidential Election as there was no non-controversial candidate in the fray. It was a collective decision of the UNPA partners.

The TDP leader said that though the UNPA had tried to field a non-controversial candidate like President A P J Abdul Kalam, other parties did not agree to it for their own reasons.

Mr Naidu said, both the UPA-Left nominee Pratibha Patil and NDA-backed independent candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat were controversial candidates, facing allegations against them.

Asked about some parties' demand to denounce the parties which abstain from the poll, he said it was the decison of the voter to choose the candidate. Even the Election Commission had admitted that it could not compel voters to vote for a particular candidate.

He said, former Union Minister and Saharanpur MP Rasheed Masood would be the UNPA's candidate for the Vice-Presidential Election.

TDP leaders would be present when Mr Masood files his nomination.

UNI