P A Sangma will emerge victorious in Presidential polls: Subramanian Swamy

LUCKNOW: Asserting that P A Sangma would emerge victorious in the Presidential polls, NDA ally Janata Party National President Subramanian Swamy today claimed there would be cross-voting from the Congress in his favour.

"I am confident that Sangma would emerge victorious in the Presidential polls...Congress will witness 25 per cent split in its vote in the election, which is through secret ballot," Swamy told reporters here.

On JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar and Shiv Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray's stand on Sangma, Swamy said that during course of campaigning they would ultimately support him.

About SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, Swamy said that he had talked to him over phone and suggested him to leave the UPA to save his "atmsamman (self pride)".

"Mulayam is my 35-year-old friend. He is the one who stopped Sonia Gandhi becoming Prime Minister in 1999. He will have to face humiliation till he remains with the Congress," Swamy said.

On being asked about Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi's statement in Moradabad that Mulayam is a BJP agent, Swamy said that Alvi was an educated person and such a statement was given by him on directions of senior Congress leaders.

Citing reasons of making Sangma the Presidential candidate, Swamy said that he was a nationalist and had an experience as Speaker of Lok Sabha and belonged to the backward North East region.

"There was a demand to make a tribal President for which Sangma qualifies. Also, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs-- all had been President but Christians had never reached this post," Swamy said.