By IANS,
New Delhi: The nomination of ruling United Progressive Alliance candidate Pranab Mukherjee for the presidential poll was accepted Tuesday, and the plea by his opponent P.A Sangma to disqualify him on the ground that he was holding an office of profit rejected.
“Pranab Mukherjee’s nomination has been accepted… resignation from Indian Statistical Institute was valid,” Mukherjee’s election agent and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal told reporters.
A controversy was raked up Monday when Sangma’s team demanded rejection of Mukherjee’s nomination, alleging that he was holding an office of profit as chairman of the Kolkata based Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).
The ISI had later issued a statement that Mukherjee had resigned on June 20. Amidst the controversy, the last date for scrutiny of nominations was extended to by a day to Tuesday.
The nomination of Sangma, who is being backed by a host of opposition parties, also was accepted Tuesday morning.