Mayawati signs Pranab Mukherjee's nomination papers

LUCKNOW: It is not just the Samajwadi Party which has been cosying up to the Congress led UPA government at the centre, but even the Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati.

On Wednesday, Congress general secretary Rajiv Shukla met former Chief Minister Mayawati in the state capital and sought her signatures on the nomination papers of UPA's presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee.

Earlier Mayawati had announced BSP's support to Pranab Mukherjee on June 15. Speaking to the media on Wednesday she said that all her party MLA and MPs in UP and other states would vote for the former finance minister to become President.

""Pranab Mukherjee is filing nominations for the post of President tomorrow. Rajiv Shukla met me to take my signature on the support letter, which I have done. Nomination papers are filed in a number of sets and Shukla was sent to take my signature"", Mayawati said to the media.

She said that Pranab Mukherjee had called her up on Wednesday and would be meeting her soon in Lucknow.

After a bitter battle of words with the Congress especially its general secretary Rahul Gandhi during the recent assembly elections which saw the drubbing of both the BSP and the Congress, Mayawati has held out the olive branch to the Congress.

She has voiced her continuing support to the UPA and also signed the nomination papers of its Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee which is a sign of growing proximity between the two partys.