NEW DELHI, July 22: Congratulating Pranab Mukherjee for winning the presidential poll, opposition candidate Purno Sangma said the nation had lost an opportunity to elevate a tribal candidate to the post of the president. “I may have lost the election, but the nation on the whole has also lost a chance to elevate a tribal to the post of president,” Sangma said at a press conference after the result was announced.  He also said that there should be a code of conduct for the presidential poll.   “There is a compelling need for establishing a code of conduct for the presidential election,” he said, adding that the process of election this year was “exceptionally political”. Sangma was backed by opposition parties BJP, SAD, AIADMK and BJD and some other parties.  He said his team had kept open the option to approach the Supreme Court against Mukherjee’s election as the president. “We are meeting day after tomorrow (Wednesday), this matter will also come up for discussion,” Sangma said to queries about the petition to the apex court after the poll panel had rejected their plea against acceptance of Mukherjee’s nomination.

Sangma’s team had alleged that Mukherjee was holding an office of profit as chairman of Indian Statistical Institute when he filed his nomination as president. IANS