Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker P.A. Sangma met Janata Dal (Secular) president and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda in Bangalore and sought support for his candidature in the July 19 Presidential poll.
The JD (S) has 26 MLAs in Karnataka and four in Kerala and three members in the Lok Sabha, including Mr. Gowda. The total value of its votes works out to about 6,000.
Mr. Sangma, whose candidature was backed by the AIADMK and the Biju Janata Dal, is seeking an opportunity to occupy Rashtrapati Bhavan by claiming that no tribal had ever become President. He hails from Meghalaya,
Mr. Gowda has said his party was yet to take a decision on the Presidential poll and that it would wait and watch.
