AIADMK Sasikala faction to support Ram Nath Kovind: Dinakaran

Amma faction of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) led by jailed party General Secretary V.K. Sasikala on Friday, announced support to ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

AIADMK Deputy General Secretary T.T.V. Dinakaran said in a statment that Sasikala has decided to support Kovind for July 17 Presidential elections.

"All of the AIADMK MLAs (Amma Faction), including the MLAs of Puducherry, will whole heartedly support BJP's Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind," Dinakaran announced.

Dinakaran had on Tuesday met Sasikal in jail and said that she would decide on whether to back the BJP's nominee for President.

With this, all the factions of the AIADMK are with the NDA government over President elections.

Chief Minister E Palaniswami, who is from the Amma faction, has accompanied Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior NDA leaders to be present at nomination filing by Kovind.

The NDA candidate of Friday filed his nomination papers in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior NDA leaders.

AIADMK said that PM Modi had phoned Palaniswami to seek support for Kovind.

Former chief minister and leader of AIADMK's rival faction O Panneerselvam also announced support for Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President had a word with him and hence we have decided to support Ram Nath Kovind for the post of President.

The Opposition has fielded former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar against Kovind.