Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 13: UPA’s Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee would address joint meeting of National Conference-Congress Legislature Party and the allies of ruling coalition Government at SKICC Srinagar during his brief visit to the summer capital of the State on July 15.
Mr Mukherjee would reach Srinagar at 11.25 am and straightway drove to SKICC to address the meeting of NC-Congress Legislature Party and their allies to mobilize campaign for his candidature though his victory in July 19 election was a foregone conclusion, official sources said.
He would have lunch with ruling coalition partners at SKICC.
Pranab would also have 20 minutes meeting with PDP patron and former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to seep support of 21 MLAs of the opposition party for his election.
Though the PDP has also decided to support the candidature of Mr Mukherjee, the Mufti would formally announce his support after meeting Pranab on Sunday, sources said.
After meeting with Mr Sayeed, Mr Mukherjee would fly to Chandigarh at 4 pm the same day as a part of his campaign.
Pranab’s rival and BJP backed Presidential candidate, PA Sangma has found little support in J&K from four BJP MLAs and three MLAs of Panthers Party.
Seven members BJP rebel group headed by Prof Chaman Lal Gupta were yet to declare their support to any of the candidate.
Mr Mukherjee was expected to garner majority of 13,344 votes at stake in J&K, sources said.
Ten Members of Parliament (MPs)—six of Lok Sabha and four Rajya Sabha and 87 elected MLAs in the State comprised electoral college for election of the President having a total vote value of 13,344.
Major political parties including National Conference-Congress coalition partners and their allies accounted for nearly 50 MLAs and 10 MPs with a total vote value of 10,752 out of 13,344.
As all 10 MPs from the State belonged to National Conference and Congress, they accounted for 7080 votes, all of which would go to Mr Mukherjee. About 50 MLAs of the coalition accounted for 3672 votes. The vote value of MP all over the country is 708 while that of MLA varied from State to State. In J&K, the vote value of the MLA was 72.
“Only elected MLAs in the Assembly (87) were eligible to cast votes for the post of President while two Nominated women MLAs in the Lower House can’t vote. Similarly, the MLCs (members of the Upper House) were also not entitled to vote for the election’’, sources said.
The State has 10 MPs, six of whom were directly elected by the people (members of Lok Sabha) while four others were elected by the MLAs (members of Rajya Sabha). All of them belonged to ruling National Conference-Congress coalition. The NC was a partner in the UPA Government.
Of six elected MPs, three belonged to National Conference including Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Dr Farooq Abdullah (Srinagar-Budgam seat), Sharief-ud-Din Shariq (Baramulla-Kupwara) and Dr Mehboob Beg (Anantnag-Pulwama). Two MPs from Jammu—Madan Lal Sharma (Jammu-Poonch) and Choudhary Lal Singh (Udhampur-Doda) belonged to Congress. Independent MLA from Ladakh Ghulam Hassan Commander was also affiliated to the NC.
Four Rajya Sabha members from Jammu and Kashmir were Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad and PCC (I) president Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz (both from Congress), Mohammad Shaffi Uri and GN Ratanpuri (both National Conference).
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