Presidential polls: Unfathomable, says Maha Cong on Sena's support to NDA's Murmu

Mumbai, Jul 12: The Congress on Tuesday said the decision of the Shiv Sena to support the National Democratic Alliance's Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu was "unfathomable".

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has said his party was announcing support for Murmu without any pressure while acknowledging that this is the first occasion wherein a tribal woman is getting the opportunity to become President.

Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, in a statement, said, "The Shiv Sena is a part of Maha Vikas Aghadi, but it has not discussed its decision with us. It is unfathomable why the party is supporting Murmu when its government (in Maharashtra) was brought down in a non-democratic way." Thorat, however, acknowledged that the Sena was a separate political entity with the right to take a stand.

"But, in this ideological battle, undemocratic ways were used to bring down a functional government and Sena's existence was also threatened," he said.

In an apparent reply to Thackeray's reason for supporting Murmu, Thorat said, "The election for the President's post is an ideological battle. The struggle is for preserving and protecting democratic values. It has nothing to do with women and men or tribals and non-tribals. Those who are in support of the Constitution are standing behind Yashwant Sinha." Thorat said the "real causes behind it (supporting Murmu) may be known to its (Sena) leadership only".

The Sena, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party are constituents of the MVA dispensation in Maharashtra. The Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government collapsed on June 29 following the rebellion by Sena's Eknath Shinde and most of the MLAs.