Pawar appeals all parties to support Pratibha Patil for Prez

Lucknow, Jun 16 (UNI) Issuing an appeal to all the political parties to support UPA's presidential candidate Pratibha Patil, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today denied that the Left parties had bargained for the post of Vice President.

''No such issue came up in the discussion at the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) meeting during which the name of Pratibha Patil was decided as the Presidential candidate,''he told reporters here this afternoon.

Mr Pawar, who is on a day-long tour of the state capital here, said he was appealing to all the parties to support the candidature of Mrs Patil as the first woman President of India. ''She is educated, experienced and most suited to the post,''he said.

When asked if he would ask support of Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party and Shiv Sena as well, the NCP leader said '' We are seeking support of all the parties.'' The UPA at the Centre had chosen the Rajasthan Governor as its official Presidential candidate for July 19 Presidential poll, notification for which had been issued by the Election Commission today.

Meanwhile, the BJP rejected the appeal of the Congress and the UPA in this regard, saying that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would support the candidature of Vice President Bhairon Shekhawat as an Independent candidate.

UNI