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Mukherjee arriving today
SYED YASIR . Dated: 7/15/2012 10:02:32 AM
SRINAGAR, July 14: United Progressive Alliance (UPA) presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee is arriving here tomorrow. He will hold meetings with leaders of National Conference (NC) and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to seek their support for his presidential election.
Mukherjee’s visit is aimed at seeking the support of the legislators and parliamentarians.
He is also scheduled to address a joint session of legislators of Congress and National Conference at SKICC.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah, PCC chief Prof Saif-ul-Din Soz, members of the co-ordination committee of coalition and senior leaders of the both the coalition partners will also participate in the joint session.
NC has already announced its support to UPA candidate. The meeting of Mukherjee with party leaders is just a formality.
The UPA nominated candidate has also a scheduled meeting with PDP patron and other leaders of the party for getting their support.
It is expected that PDP leadership will formally announce its support to the UPA candidate. The PDP has 21 MLAs in the state assembly and Congress party is keen to maintain a co-ordial relation with opposition to seek their support in the presidential election.
Congress vice president Ghulam Nabi Monga told Kashmir Times that senior leaders of the party including Prof Soz and others will receive Mukherjee at around 11 AM at Srinagar international airport and he will straightway reach to SKICC to address joint meeting of NC-Congress legislators.
The Congress leader also said Mukherjee would fly to Chandigarh at 4 PM the same day as a part of his campaign before meeting with PDP leadership. He said UPA nominated candidate has a reasonable support in the state as six elected MPs belong to the UPA alliance.
Three MPs of NC are union minister for new and renewable energy Dr Farooq Abdullah from Srinagar-Budgam, Sharief-ud-Din Shariq from Baramulla-Kupwara and Dr Mehboob Beg from Anantnag-Pulwama.
Similarly two MPs from Jammu, Madan Lal Sharma and Choudhary Lal Singh belong to Congress party. The lone Independent MP from Ladakh Ghulam Hassan Commander was also associated with National Conference.
The state has also four Rajya Sabha members- union minister for health and family welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad,PCC president Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz, Mohammad Shafi Uri (NC) and Ghulam Nabi Ratanpuri.