Bhairon Singh Shekhawat files his nomination papers at Parliament House as Sushma Swaraj (left) and Atal Bihari Vajpayee (right) look on. (PTI)

New Delhi, June 25: The BJP lost the Shiv Sena, its oldest ally, and won Natwar Singh on the presidential election.

The jolt from the Sena, which has decided to back UPA-Left candidate Pratibha Patil, came hours after the BJP-led NDA got Natwar’s signatures on the nomination papers of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.

The Sena declared that it was a matter of pride to have the country’s first Marathi President, more so a woman, as Maharashtra marks 50 years of statehood in 2010.

Sena chief Bal Thackeray said in Mumbai it was “silly” to argue his party was torn between its commitment to Hinduism and to Marathi identity. “We are pro-Hindu and pro-Maharashtra. The candidature of a Marathi woman as a presidential candidate is a matter of honour… when Maharashtra celebrates 50 years as a state, a woman will hoist the flag at Rashtrapati Bhavan,” he said.

The Trinamul Congress, another key NDA ally, is not too excited about backing Shekhawat either.

But Bhim Singh of the Jammu & Kashmir Panthers Party, which recently snapped ties with the Ghulam Nabi Azad government, signed Shekhawat’s papers along with Natwar.

The Congress mocked Natwar’s support to Shekhawat. “If Natwar Singh, who owes his entire political life to the Congress, can’t be relied upon by the Congress, I think it is presumptuous for others to rely on him,” spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

Singhvi trained his guns at Shekhawat, too, saying that as the Rajya Sabha’s presiding officer, the Vice-President had a responsibility to prevent cross-voting.

Natwar, forced to resign as minister after being named in the oil-for-food scam, remains a Congress MP although he has been suspended.

But Natwar insisted he supported Shekhawat because he has been a good Vice-President and will make a good President. “He comes from Rajasthan, so do I. He is a favourite son of the state.”

Some BJP leaders, including chief Rajnath Singh, are believed to be “uncomfortable” with the party’s anti-Pratibha campaign. They are asking what purpose was served by picking up “stray voters” whose base was questionable.

Sources said the decision to get Natwar and Bhim Singh on board was taken by L.K. Advani on the “advice and guidance” of Sudheendra Kulkarni, his former political aide. Advani is believed to have said at a meeting on Sunday the anti-Pratibha campaign must continue.