Team Sangma studying legal aspects before challenging Pranab

New Delhi, July 5 (ANI): Former Lok Sabha P.A. Sangma, who has demanded cancellation of UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee's nomination under the Office of Profit rules on the ground that he is still chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), today said that his full election committee will study the ruling of the Returning Officer and then decide about the future course of action.

"We have received a certified copy of the ruling late last night. I have gone through it and my legal team will be meeting to study the ruling of the Returning Officer. After the legal committee has studied it, at 4: 30 p.m. the full election campaign committee will meet and decide about the future course of action," said Sangma, who is being backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the AIADMK in the race for Raisina Hill.

The Election Commission had directed Returning Officer V K Agnihotri to give details of the scrutiny proceedings and the order rejecting Sangma's objection to Mukherjee's candidature to him.

Mukherjee, however, yesterday denied that the signature on his letter of resignation from the Kolkata-based ISI was "forged".

"Who had forged my signature? I myself? I do not know what they have said. Who can forge his own signature? This issue we have debated at the office of the Returning Officer and the Returning Officer responded to that," said Mukherjee, while countering the charges levelled against him by the BJP.

"How can somebody lodge a complaint that you forged your own signature? All these issues have been represented by my authorised representatives before the Returning Officer... and the Returning Officer has responded to that," he told the media in Thiruvananthapuram.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had also rubbished Sangma's claims that Pranab Mukherjee is still the chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute.

"Pranab Mukherjee resigned from the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) on June 20," said Bansal.

The presidential elections will be held on July 19. The vote count will take place on July 22.

Pratibha Devisingh Patil's term as President ends on July 24. (ANI)