Jaya steps up campaign for Sangma, speaks to non-Cong leaders
Jayalalithaa spoke over telephone to Advani, CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat, CPI leader A B Bardhan, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, Shironmani Akali Dal leader and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, an AIADMK release said here.
As part of the "intensified efforts" to garner support for Sangma, Jayalalithaa spoke to these leaders seeking their support the tribal leader from the north-east who "has all the qualifications" (to become President) in the coming Presidential polls, it said.
Jayalalithaa's
latest
initiative
comes
two
days
after
she
asked
all
parties
to
"rise
above
political
considerations,"
and
support
the
tribal
leader
for
the
top
job.
In
a
coordinated
move,
Jayalalithaa
and
her
Odisha
counterpart
Naveen
Patnaik
on
May
17
announced
their
joint
support
to
Sangma.
The AIADMK chief had held consultations with Patnaik besides within her party before announcing her support to Sangma, who himself had called on her on May 15.
The Nationalist Congress Party, to which Sangma belongs, however, has ruled out supporting his candidature, saying it would go with the UPA being a part of it.
PTI