'Shekhawat to solicit support from all MPs, MLAs'

New Delhi, July 12: Defending Leader of Opposition L K Advani'scall for conscience voting in the presidential elections, the NDA todayasserted that the alliance-backed candidate Mr Bhairon Singh Shekhawatwill seek support from all MPs and MLAs.

''It is the right of both Mr Shekhawat as well as UPA nomineePratibha Patil to contact and seek the support of all MPs and MLAs asthere is nothing illegal or immoral or unconstitutional about it andthe voters can exercise their franchise in any manner they likedwithout attracting the provisions of anti-defection laws,'' Ms Swarajsaid.

Spokesperson for Mr Shekhawat and senior BJP leader Sushma Swarajtold newspersons here that Mr Advani had sent a letter urging eachmember of the electoral college to cast a ''conscience vote''.

Mr Shekhawat has been contacting the MPs and MLAs of all hues andaffiliations seeking their support in the presidential polls, she said,while pointing out that party whips were not effective in Presidentialelections.

She said the presidential polls were replete with precedenceswhere political party leaders had sought conscience voting. Sheobserved that in 1969 former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had urged theelectoral college to cast their 'conscience votes' in favour of Mr V VGiri in preference to her Congress party's official nominee NeelamSanjeeva Reddy and also in 1967 she had sought 'universal support' forDr Zakir Hussain.

Even in 2002, CPI-M leader Jyoti Basu had sought the MPs and MLAsto cast their conscience votes in favour of Left-parties nominee CaptLakshmi Sehgal, she added.

UNI