Everyone should vote by conscience, whip not 'valid': Sangma

With Sangma pushing for a 'conscience vote' which helped V V Giri win the 1969 Presidential polls, his rival and UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee responded saying, "everyone always votes as per the conscience". Mukherjee was asked if he was worried about Sangma's strategy.

Sangma also renewed his attack on Mukherjee blaming him for the economic mess the country is in today but was ticked off by UPA ally and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his remark that Rashtrapati Bhawan was being used as a dumping ground for the 'failed' former Finance Minister.

"Today I have come to appeal to all MPs and MLAs. Presidential election are not held on the basis of political parties, it is above political party," he told reporters in Lucknow.

The former Lok Sabha Speaker said that in presidential election a candidate is not of a political party.

"Pranab Mukherjee is not a Congress candidate. He has resigned from the party and is contesting as an independent. I am also an independent candidate," he said.

As per the constitution, presidential election are held through secret ballot and whip is not issued by any political party, Sangma said.

"If a whip is issued by any party it is not valid," he added.

"Everybody has a right to vote according to his conscience. In 1969, conscience voting took place in which V V Giri won. I appeal to everyone again," he said.

A day after the Election Commission rejected the petition filed by the Sangma camp objecting to his nomination, Mukherjee said it was now a closed chapter.

"Since all the disputes about my nomination have been resolved by the returning officer, there was nothing left for me to say about them," Mukherjee told reporters in Bhopal.

In an apparent reference to Sangma's jibe at his rival as "failed" former Finance Minister, Omar tweeted, "Note to Mr Sangma - you are contesting elections to the highest office in the land, would it hurt you to maintain a measure of decorum?".