Prez polls: Odisha Congress MLAs pledge support to Meira Kumar

Ahead of the Presidential election scheduled for tomorrow, Congress lawmakers in Odisha today pledged their support to UPA's candidate Meira Kumar.
"All Congress MLAs in the state are together and they will vote in favour of UPA candidate Meira Kumar in the Presidential polls unitedly," AICC observer Siddharth Patel said after a meeting with party legislators.
Congress legislators held a meeting at the residence of Leader of Opposition Narsingha Mishra here in presence of Patel to discuss the presidential election.
Mishra said it is certain that 15 of the 16 Congress legislators will vote in favour of Meira Kumar as one of the party MLAs may not be in a position to vote due to illness. "We all will vote for the UPA candidate unitedly and there should not be any doubt," he said.

Mishra said he has also spoken to an independent MLA and the lone CPI(M) legislator in the 147-member Assembly and requested them to vote for Meira Kumar.
Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati said all party lawmakers are united and there is no question of anyone deviating from the decision to back the UPA candidate in the election for the top constitutional post.
Apart from MLAs and the AICC observer, some senior party leaders were also present in the meeting.
UPA's Presidential pick Meira Kumar did not visit Odisha in the run up to the polls after her tour was cancelled.