Decision to back Sangma in line with anti-UPA mood: BJP

Charging the United Progressive Alliance with lacking "political decency" in evolving a consensus candidate for the Presidential poll, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said its decision to back former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma was in keeping with "anti-Congress, anti- UPA mood" in the country.

"For the post of the first citizen, when you talk about consensus it would be a matter of etiquette and political decency that you discuss with people and decide on a name... (but) if they did not want to discuss, it is okay," BJP national spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman told the media in Chennai. She said a consensus-building exercise would have had its rewards but Congress did not do that.

Seetharaman insisted that her party zeroed in on backing All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-Biju Janata Dal nominee Sangma after much "transparent and democratic consultations," which, she said, was not the case with the rival ruling UPA camp as West Bengal Chief Minister and UPA constituent Mamata Banerjee had come up with the name of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, among others.

The BJP was "not forced" into supporting Sangma, Seetharaman said in response to a question, adding, the decision was in keeping with the "anti-Congress, anti-UPA mood" in the country where people want a contest.

She declined to "pre-conclude"  the result of the Presidential race and said factors such as Sangma being a "successful former Speaker and a tall leader from the north east" will have a bearing on the voting pattern. The BJP will mobilise the support of as many parties as possible for Sangma who himself was in touch with Banerjee, she said.

Asked if the differences among BJP-led NDA allies over the Presidential candidate would result in parties walking out, she said this was speculation.

Responding to the spat between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi over NDA's prime ministerial candidate for 2014 general elections, she said the issue "is not even debatable," and none, including the UPA, was worried about their candidate for the post now.