BJP-supported Presidential candidate PA Sangma has said that Congress will not have a cake walk in the election to the top constitutional post of the country. Perhaps this is going to be so given the way the wily Sangma has been trying every trick in the book to put doubts on the candidature of UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee. Sangma knows the fact that the UPA candidate is going to become President. Mr Mukherjee has the votes in his favour. This is the simple truth of both maths and politics. The only remote possibility (which by the way has never ever happened in independent India) is for Sangma to prove that Mr Mukherjee’s Presidential candidature is fraud, unconstitutional and anti-national. The former Lok Sabha Speaker and former Meghalaya Chief Minister is obviously very determined to stay in the news up till the last hour of the D-Day i.e. the Presidential election on July 19, 2012. And since Sangma is nowhere near the winning mark, at least through his antics, he can ensure his place in history that he remained a popular candidate who fought the Presidential election and went down fighting. And while a shot at Presidency will remain a distant dream as of now for Sangma, what he can atleast take home is a place within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). With his deep sense of anger and grievance against the Congress party, Sangma could emerge as an important leader in the BJP. One never knows with Sangma. With General Election not too far away, he could find a place of respect and honour in the BJP. He will definitely be an asset to the BJP to act as emissary and bring in the likes of the AIADMK, BJD, TMC etc within the BJP led NDA fold. There is definitely a future for Sangma in the BJP.
Coming back to the Presidential election, it is somewhat strange and surprising that someone who has held a constitutional post before (as Lok Sabha Speaker) should speak or express his mind the way Mr Sangma has done. According to one among the numerous statements coming from Mr Sangma, he says that “India should have a President, who is not blind, dumb and deaf and that India should have a thinking and functional President”. The other news making headline was the call given by Mr Sangma for a Presidential debate with his opponent Mr Mukherjee. On the points raised, Mr Sangma appears to be keen to display his smart opinions and trying to copy paste western style (American) standard to constitutional process prevailing in the Indian system of Parliamentary democracy. Mr Sangma should know better that in India, the Prime Minister is the Head of the Government and runs it as long as he/she enjoys the confidence of Parliament. The President is only the nominal head and the constitution does not assign such powers as being assumed or suggested by Mr Sangma. One can only imagine what will happen to our parliamentary democracy if someone with the intention of Mr Sangma was to become President. So unless there is a constitution amendment making the office of the President ‘functional’, we will have to live with a nominal President. As for the Presidential debate, again this is misplaced in the context of the prevailing system. Instead we should take this suggestion for political parties to support and perhaps for the Election Commission to take note of during General Election. There should be healthy debate among the candidates for Prime Minister of different parties or formation during time of election campaign. So yes Mr Sangma is right when he suggests a debate but not for the Presidential election. We should have one during election for a new government.