Pranab files nomination for presidential election (Lead)
June 28th, 2012 - 1:28 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, June 28 (IANS) United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate Pranab Mukherjee Thursday filed his nomination for the July 19 presidential poll and sought the “blessing of god and cooperation of all” to get elected to the country’s highest office.
In what was turned into a show of strength, leaders of most UPA allies, except for the Trinamool Congress, were present. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RSD) Lalu Prasad were amongst those who witnessed the ceremony.
“I only wish at this time that we have the blessing of god and cooperation of all at this juncture,” Mukherjee told reporters after filing his nomination at the Rajya Sabha secretariat.
As a candidate for the 14th presidential election, he said he was being supported by a “large number of parties who are supporting UPA government like Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party” as well as by other parties who did not support the government.
Listing the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Shiv Sena, he said: “I am grateful to them as they have reposed faith in me to occupy the office which was occupied in past by great stalwarts of this country.”
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Ajit Singh, Lok Janshakti Party’s Ram Vilas Paswan, National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah, Indian Union Muslim League’s E. Ahmed and senior DMK leaders were amongst the other leaders present on the occasion.
Cabinet ministers P. Chidambaram and Pawan Kumar Bansal, who is Mukherjee’s election agent, were also present.
Opposition candidate P.A. Sangma, who is supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the AIADMK and the Biju Janata Dal, is expected to file his nomination in the afternoon.
The filing of nominations marks the formal start of the race for presidency, in which Mukherjee appears to have a clear edge over Sangma.
The scrutiny of the nominations will be done on July 2, the last date for withdrawal is July 4, the poll will take place July 19 and counting of votes will be on July 22.
- Pranab files nomination for presidential election - Jun 28, 2012
- Race for Raisina Hill on, Pranab, Sangma file nominations (Second Lead) - Jun 28, 2012
- Presidential poll: Pranab, Sangma to file papers Thursday - Jun 27, 2012
- Vote count on for presidential poll (Second Lead) - Jul 22, 2012
- Sonia's lunch presents picture of UPA unity (Lead) - Jul 18, 2012
- Patnaik accuses Pranab of buying support - Jul 02, 2012
- Polling to elect next Indian president ends - Jul 19, 2012
- Pranab seeks Trinamool support - Jun 28, 2012
- Sangma files nomination, says it's victory of tribal unity - Jun 28, 2012
- BJP backs Sangma for presidential election (Lead) - Jun 21, 2012
- Akhilesh to host Pranab to lunch Tuesday (Second Lead) - Jul 02, 2012
- Sangma seeks support in Bihar - Jul 14, 2012
- India to elect new president Thursday - Jul 18, 2012
- Pranab arrives in Kolkata, to meet supporters Monday - Jul 08, 2012
- Sangma files nomination, says it's victory of tribal unity (Lead) - Jun 28, 2012
Tags: aiadmk, ajit singh, bharatiya janata party, communist party of india, communist party of india marxist, congress president sonia gandhi, election agent, farooq abdullah, lalu prasad, manmohan singh, mulayam singh yadav, muslim league, p chidambaram, pawan kumar, prime minister manmohan singh, rahul gandhi, rajya sabha secretariat, ram vilas paswan, s farooq, shiv sena