New Delhi, July 3 (ANI): Rajya Sabha Secretary General V.K.Agnihotri, who is the returning officer for the July 19 presidential poll, on Tuesday rejected the objection raised by Purno Sangma\u2019s election team against UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee\u2019s nomination on grounds that he was holding an office of profit when he filed his nomination.
\nTeam Sangma had claimed that Mukherjee was the chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) when he filed his nomination as the presidential candidate of the UPA. Team Sangma had demanded Mukherjee\u2019s disqualification on this ground, which Agnihotri rejected.
\nMukherjee had submitted his reply to the returning officer for these elections, and Agnihotri said Team Sangma\u2019s objection was \u201cfactually incorrect\u201d. He said that he had received documents that proved that Mukherjee had quit the chairmanship of the ISI before he resigned as the country\u2019s finance minister last week.
\nLast week Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pawan Bansal had said that Mukherjee had resigned as ISI chairman on June 20. United Progressive Alliance (UPA) presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee met Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav here on Tuesday, and said he continues to enjoy the support of various political leaders in the race to Raisina Hill.
\n\u201cI just now had a discussion with Samajwadi Party MLAs, leaders and MPs. Now, I am going to have a discussion with Congress and other alliance parties, and thereafter I will have a discussion with BSP MLAs, MPs and leaders. All of them have extended their support to me,\u201d he said. Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who also accompanied Mukherjee during his meeting with the Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders, has formed a committee to oversee his daylong Uttar Pradesh visit.
\nPranab Mukherjee is pitted against former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma, who is supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the AIADMK. Mukherjee, who resigned as the finance minister to contest the presidential election, is all set to emerge victorious in the race to Raisina Hill.
\nHis resignation brought an end to a distinguished 43-year-long political career. The presidential elections will be held on July 19. The vote count will take place on July 22. Pratibha Devisingh Patil\u2019s term as President ends on July 24. <\/p>\n\n