The Hindu : Front Page : Manmohan, Sonia sign papers for Pratibha

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Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007
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Manmohan, Sonia sign papers for Pratibha

Special Correspondent

Congress sets in motion the nomination process

Setting the ball rolling: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, flanked by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi (left) and his Deputy Suresh Pachouri, signs the nomination papers of the United Progressive Alliance’s Presidential candida te, Pratibha Patil, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: The Congress party on Tuesday set in motion the process of filing of nomination papers of the United Progressive Alliance-Left Presidential candidate with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi signing the papers.

Ms. Gandhi, who is also chairperson of the UPA, signed papers formally proposing the name of the Rajasthan Governor, Pratibha Patil. Union Ministers Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi and Prithviraj Chavan were present on the occasion.

Dr. Singh too signed papers proposing the candidate’s name for the elections to be held on July 19, in the presence of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mr. Dasmunsi and his Deputy Suresh Pachauri.

With this the UPA began the formal task of preparing papers proposing and seconding the name of Ms. Patil as the candidate of the ruling combine and parties supporting it from outside. The actual filing of the papers before the returning officer, Lok Sabha Secretary-General P.D.T. Achary, would take place on Saturday. According to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, four persons have filed their nominations for the election. They are Har Prakash, a resident of Delhi; Narendra Nath Dubey of Varanasi; Ram Kumar Shukal of Lucknow and Vijay Narayan Pal of Kanpur. With this, a total of seven nominations have been received, including two on June 16.

Rejected

The Secretariat said the nomination of Mr. Prakash was rejected since it did not contain a certified copy of the electoral roll relating to the candidate. Of the other three, only Mr. Dubey’s papers had more than 50 persons proposing and seconding the name and the requisite deposit money paid.

In another development, Dr. Singh called on President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. During the 25-minute meeting, the two leaders discussed “matters of national importance”, according to S.M. Khan, Press Secretary to the President.

Official sources said that the meeting was fixed well before Monday, the day the United National Progressive Alliance suggested that the newly-formed front favoured a second-term for Mr. Kalam.

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