Thaindian News

Shillong, Jul 5 (IANS) Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has appealed to his coalition partners in the state to revisit their decision to support former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma in the July 19 presidential election.

The United Democratic Party (UDP) and the Hill State Peoples’ Democratic Party (HSPDP), which are supporting the Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance government, have pledged their support to P.A. Sangma.

“I have written to the presidents of UDP and HSPDP, asking them to review their decision and to support the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) nominee Pranab Mukherjee for the president’s post,” the chief minister told reporters here Thursday.

“We expect them (UDP and HSPDP) to respect the spirit of the coalition and support the UPA nominee,” he added.

However, former chief minister and UDP chief Donkupar Roy has ruled out going back on the decision to support P.A. Sangma.

“I told him (Mukul Sangma) that the decision was not taken by the parliamentary members of the party alone, but the party workers, too, want the UDP legislators to vote for the former Lok Sabha speaker,” Roy told IANS.

Saying that the presidential poll has no bearing on the commitment of coalition partners in the state government, UDP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Bindo Mathew Lanong said his party has unanimously decided to support the former Lok Sabha speaker as a local independent candidate.

“He is no more with any party after he resigned from the NCP (Nationalist Congress Party),” Lanong said.

Earlier, the Asom Gana Parishad and Mizo National Front pledged their support to P.A. Sangma, who is backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal, AIADMK and some other parties.