Presidential polls: Pranab Mukherjee writes to Mamata seeking support

Kolkata: With three days to go for the presidential election, UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee has written a letter to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee seeking her support.

The chief minister posted a copy of Mukherjee's letter on her Facebook page stating that she received it today.

"The President stands above party politics. Given an opportunity, it shall be my endeavour to protect the values of this office: integrity, impartiality and the promotion of 'Sarva dharma sambhav' which constitute the essence and spirit of our Constitution," Mukherjee wrote in the letter.

"If my election has any meaning, it is only as part of our common service to our motherland. It is in this spirit that I seek your valuable support in this election," he said, adding, he is honoured that UPA allies and other parties have considered him worthy for the post.

Recalling that he began his public life in his ancestral village in West Bengal, he said he was schooled in politics by the pro-poor commitment of Indira Gandhi.

"And it remains my dream to eliminate the last vestiges of that terrifying affliction called poverty within our lifetimes," Mukherjee said.

The Trinamool Congress chief has already said that she would make known her decision on whom to support three days before the presidential polls on July 19.

When asked by reporters in Srinagar earlier in the day, if he would appeal to Banerjee, an ally of UPA at the Centre, to vote for him, Mukherjee said, "I appeal to her almost every day...that is for her to decide".