Jayalalithaa in Delhi to reinforce support for Kalam

New Delhi, June 22: AIADMK supremo and United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) leader Jayalalithaa today flew into the capital from Chennai to reinforce the efforts of her alliance partners to muster support for the candidature of President A P J Abdul Kalam for a second term in Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Ms Jayalalithaa will lead a delegation of the UNPA to meet Dr Kalam at 1630 hrs.

The UNPA leaders, who yesterday got a clear 'no' from the Left and UPA constituents to the proposal of a second term for the incumbent, will hold a second round of talks with NDA leaders at the residence of Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee today to achieve their ''mission''.

They have already held two rounds of talks with them and both sides described the outcome as ''positive''.

Today's meeting with Dr Kalam will be the second one of the newly-launched alliance in the past three days.

Earlier, their leaders had called on Dr Kalam on Wednesday but the AIADMK supremo could not join them, as she was unwell.

They had said after the meeting that Dr Kalam agreed to go in for a second term provided there was certainty of winning.

After signals from the President that he was willing to contest, the NDA had said it would take a final decision after talking to Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who had decided to contest as an Independent candidate.

Mr Shekhawat had in turn said he was ready to withdraw in favour of Dr Kalam.

Now the UNPA and NDA leaders will discuss the latest situation today.

Mustering support for Dr Kalam is an uphill task for them as UPA nominee Pratibha Patil has a clear edge over others, given the count of votes of the parties supporting her.

The Left and the UPA, the BSP and the DMK have also disapproved the UNPA proposal.

The Shiv Sena, which had already expressed its happiness over the nomination of a woman from Maharashtra for the highest post, stayed away from the NDA meeting to discuss the proposal for the candidature of Dr Kalam.

UNI

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