Sangma seeks EC order on Pranab, may move court

Presidential candidate PA Sangma will take a decision on moving court after getting a certified official copy from the returning officer on the rejection of his objections against Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) nominee Pranab Mukherjee, who has been accused of holding an office of profit.

A meeting of the Sangma camp was held at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sushma Swaraj's residence in New Delhi on Wednesday where Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy said that they are waiting for the official order before taking any further action.

"We have surprisingly not received the official certified order. The message we are been given is that the returning officer has given the order to the Election Commission. We are waiting for the official copy and only then we will move court," said Swamy after the two-hour meeting which was also attended by senior BJP leaders SS Ahluwalia and Ananthakumar.

Sangma has also written to the Presidential election returning officer and demanded a certified copy of the detailed order rejecting his objection against Mukherjee's candidature. Sangma has demanded that the copy of the order be handed over to him by Wednesday 5 pm as more than 24 hours have gone by after passing the order rejecting his objections.

The BJP, which is supporting Sangma along with the Shiromani Akali Dal, Biju Janata Dal and the AIADMK, has accused Pranab of fraud in his resignation as the Chairman of the Kolkata-based Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). The BJP had alleged that Mukherjee's signature on the resignation letter to the ISI had been forged, claiming his signature on the resignation letter, which he produced in his affidavit before the Presidential election returning officer, was forged was different from his normal one.

However, Home Minister Chidambaram said that in India any one can move court if that person. "Hints at forgeries is a scandalous suggestion. Pranab Mukherjee has taken a note. No one can stop anyone from going to court," said Chidambaram.

The BJP also alleged that Mukherjee's resignation letter has been prepared only to save his nomination for the Presidential election and asked both Mukherjee and eminent scientist MGK Menon, who is the ISI President, to come clean on the issue.