BJD and AIADMK support Sangma for President

Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Tamil Nadu's All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Thursday backed the candidature of former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma for the office of the President.

"After due consideration and consultations within the AIADMK party, the AIADMK has decided to support the candidature of Sangma for the highest office of the Republic of India, viz. the President of India," the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa said in a statement.

She also observed that in the past 60 years, while eminent personalities have graced the office of the Rashtrapathi, no one belonging to a tribal community has had the opportunity so far.

"Sangma not only belongs to a tribal community but is also eminently qualified to be the President our great nation," Jayalalithaa said.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's party also supported Sangma for the post of President.

Tribals comprise a quarter of the state's total population and it would be befitting to support a tribal candidate like Sangma, Naveen told reporters.

Sangma, who is a tribal Christian from the northeast state of Meghalaya, is one of the founders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Sangma's own party is yet to take a stand on the Presidential election.

While the BJP and its allies are yet to announce any names for the President, the Congress and the UPA have hinted the names of Pranab Mukherjee, finance minister, and Hamid Ansari, vice president.

President Pratibha Patil's term ends on July 24, and the new President would be sworn in on July 25.

Earlier this month, a state-level body representing mainline Christian denominations in Andhra Pradesh, proposed the candidature of Sangma as he "belonged to the tribal community and is a Christian by religion".

Members of other minority communities like the Muslims and Sikhs were given the post of the President, but not Christians. It is the turn of a Christian now, the Andhra Pradesh Federation of Churches (APFC) had said.

Ecumenical bodies, such as the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), are intensely pushing for a Christian as a President.

"It is the practice of inclusive democracy which deepens the participatory process in democratic polities which made this possible. But the incorporation of the Christian community into this process has been ignored so far, perhaps unintentionally. Therefore we want to appeal to all the political parties to rectify this deficit by electing a Christian as India's next President," NCCI earlier said in a statement.