'Sena support to Patil not a vote for Cong'

MUMBAI: Refusing to bow to pressure from its ally BJP, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday said its MPs and MLAs would vote for UPA candidate Pratibha Patil in the Presidential poll on Thursday and claimed it was not a vote for Congress.

"All our MPs and MLAs were called and Balasaheb gave them directions to act by the decision to support Pratibhatai Patil for the post of President," Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray told after the meeting at Sena's headquarters in Central Mumbai.

"This is a historic moment and it is not a vote for Congress but for a Marathi woman. It is a matter of pride for us to see her elected to the highest post in the country," Uddhav added.

Thackeray said prior to the voting tomorrow, all MPs and MLAs would go to Hutatma Chowk in South Mumbai where they would pay their respects to those who laid down their lives for the cause of a unified Maharashtra.

On Sena's alliance with BJP, he said "we hope that there will be no rift in the alliance as a result of this".

Uddhav said the party would take a decision on whether to support the NDA candidate for the post of Vice-President once a name was declared.

Earlier in the day, Chief MInister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Deputy CM R R Patil met Bal Thackeray at his residence and Uddhav said the duo had come to thank him for his decision to support Patil.