Presidential poll: P A Sangma seeks YSR Congress support

HYDERABAD: Presidential candidate P A Sangma today sought the support of YSR Congress Party to his candidature and alleged that he was prevented from personally meeting Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in jail.

Sangma met YSR Congress honorary president and Jagan's mother Y S Vijaya Lakshmi and other important leaders of the party at her residence here and urged them to support him.

"I had a very very fruitful discussion with them. I appealed to them to support my candidature in the coming Presidential election. They assured me that very soon that they would be calling the party office bearers meeting and the final decision taken", he told reporters.

He expressed confidence that the YSRCP would support his candidature for the post of Rashtrapati.

YSRCP has 17 MLAs in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly in a house of 294.

Meanwhile, Sangma went to the Chanchalguda jail, where Jagan was lodged in connection with an alleged disproportionate assets case, but could not meet him.

Sangma claimed that he was given time to meet Jagan at around 9 AM which was postponed to 11 AM.

The meeting was, however, cancelled possibly at the intervention of "state government authorities and Union Government authorities", he alleged.

"So I went back to my hotel and I was proceeding to the jail at around 10.45 AM so that I am able to be there between 11 and 12 as I have been told to be there by the jail authorities. When we were about to reach the jail, my son James Sangma, who is an MLA, was informed by the jailer that my meeting with Jagan Mohan Reddy is cancelled and that I will not be allowed to meet him because my visit was going to be political", he said.