Pratibha to win with unexpected margin : Congress
New Delhi, July 18 (UNI) The Congress Party expressed the hope that the UPA-Left candidate Pratibha Patil will win tomorrow's Presidential election with an "unexpected margin." Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi told mediapersons at the AICC headquarters here that Ms Patil would poll votes with a total value of at least 600,000 which constitute more than 60 per cent of the total vote value of the electoral college consisting of MPs and MLAs.
He welcomed the reported decision of the National Conference to "strengthen secular ties and support Ms Patil. " Party sources said the decision of the Janata Dal (Secular) which had decided to abstain from voting in tomorrow's presidential poll would indirectly help Ms Patil. The JD(S) and the BJP are sharing power in Karnataka.
Sources hoped that the Trinamool Congress will also take a stand which will be favourable to the UPA-Left candidate.
Referring to news reports regarding non-participation of BSP MPs in the dinner hosted by Congress President Sonia Gandhi in honour of Ms Patil here last night, Mr Dasmunsi said that Uttar Pradesh Minister Satish Mishra had informed him about this. Their absence in the dinnes was because of the fact that they had attended a dinner hosted last night by Utar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for BSP MPs in Lucknow ahead of the Presidential election.
"The BSP MPs will vote for Ms Patil in Delhi tomorrow. They will arrive here tonight or tomorrow morning," he said.
Asked if it was true that Ms Patil did not tour her home state of Maharashtra mainly to dodge a meeting with Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackaray, who had pledged his party's support to Ms Patil, Mr Dasmunsi said that she had to be in the capital city today as many MPs who had already reached here for tomorrow's poll wanted to meet her. However, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and his Deputy R R Patil had called on Mr Thackaray.
He alleged that BJP-sponsored "independent" candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat had been misusuing his position as Vice president.
In
this
context,
he
said
that
Mr
Shekhawat
had
been
contacting
MPs
and
MLAs
introducing
himself
as
Vice-President.
He,
thus,
lowered
the
dignity
of
the
second
highest
constitutional
post
.
"This
is
the
first
time
in
independent
India
that
a
Vice-President
had
misused
his
position
in
a
Presidential
election."
On
the
decision
of
the
"Third
Front"
(UNPA)
to
abstain
from
voting
in
the
Presidential
poll,
Mr
Dasmunsi
said
"every
party
has
every
right
to
decide
to
vote
or
not
to
vote...nobody
is
forcing
anybody."
UNI