Asserting her solid support for P.A. Sangma in the Presidential election, chief minister J. Jayalalithaa on Wednesday proposed the former Speaker’s name.
According to AIADMK sources, Ms Jayalalithaa was the first to ink her name in the list of 50 eligible voters to back Mr Sangma’s candidature.
AIADMK MPs and MLAs followed her in proposing Mr Sangma’s name.
It may be noted that Ms Jayalalithaa was the first to suggest Mr Sangma’s name in the race for Raisina Hill. Odisha chief minister and Biju Janata Dal chief Naveen Patnaik followed her.
Though the BJP was initially hesitant, it also chose to back the two-time Meghalaya CM after former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam announced his withdrawal from the race.
Ms Jayalalithaa was instrumental in getting the BJP to back Sangma by convincing senior BJP leader L. K. Advani when the latter called on her in Chennai.
Both Mr Sangma and UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee are expected to file their nomination papers on Thursday.