The UPA-Left managers have begun a vigorous drive to poach heavily into the rival camp to drastically reduce the vote share of Shekhawat.
Will hold a joint meeting with Left to kick off presidential campaign
NEW DELHI: Rather than launching a counter campaign against Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, independent presidential candidate backed by the NDA, the UPA-Left managers have begun a vigorous drive to poach heavily into the rival camp to drastically reduce the vote share of Shekhawat. UPA sources on Sunday claimed that they have got "positive" response from a few more parties.
Even as the decision of the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) to abstain from voting has come as a great relief to the UPA-Left combine, sources said their emissaries have got in touch with Janata Dal (Secular), Telengana Rastrasamiti and National Conference and the Trinamul Congress seeking support to Pratibha Patil.
The JDS, Trinamul, TRS and the National Conference have over 30,000 votes, while the UNPA has over one lakh six thousand votes. If the strategy of UPA managers work, then the NDA vote share will be reduced from the current 3,52,989 to roughly 3.12 lakh.
Congress leader and UPA-Left nominee Pratibha Patil's election committee member Mohan Prakash said a meeting of the Congress, Left and other allies will be held in Delhi between July 2 and 4 wherein a joint statement will also be issued to rebuff the charges against Patil.
"We have enough ammunition against Shekhawat, but we will not stoop to attack him as we respect the constitutional post of Vice President he is holding now. He should have quit the post rather than using the high office for politicking," Mohan Prakash said.
Sources said parliamentary affairs minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, who is heading the election campaign of Patil, is in touch with Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who UPA sources claimed, has decided not to back Shekhawat. UPA is working hard to get the support of these four parties, failing which at least get them abstain.
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