GJM to go with Trinamool on presidential poll

Kolkata, June 28 (IANS) The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, which has three legislators in the West Bengal assembly, Thursday said it will go along the ruling Trinamool Congress's decision in July 19 presidential poll.

"We have not decided on the issue of presidential poll. But whatever decision the ruling Trinamool Congress takes, we will support it," GJM supremo Biman Gurung said.

The move is seen as an attempt to appease Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has crossed swords with the Congress over the candidature of Pranab Mukherjee.

The GJM has been campaigning for the creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland within India, out of northern districts of West Bengal.

The GJM currently has three members in the 294-member state assembly.

The Trinamool, the second largest constituent of the ruling United Progressive Alliance in New Delhi, is yet to announce its stand on the presidential choice after its preferred candidate, former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, declined to contest.

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate Pranab Mukherjee is pitted against former Lok Sabha Speaker P.A. Sangma for the presidential poll which are scheduled for July 19. Both Mukherjee and Sangma Thursday filed their nomination papers.

The electoral arithmetic seems to be favouring Mukherjee now with all UPA constituents except Trinamool supporting him. Parties like the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), the All India Forward Bloc, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and the Shiv Sena - which are not associated with the UPA - also have expressed their support to him.

Sangma has the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some other constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), as also the AIADMK and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

Banerjee has so far been firmly opposing Mukherjee's bid for the country's presidency.