A day before United Progressive Alliance Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee's Jharkhand visit, the Congress on Wednesday said chances of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha President Shibu Soren supporting him are positive, though he has chosen to defer the date of announcement of his choice for the July 19 election.
"I met Shibu Soren and Deputy Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday night and their responses were very positive. The JMM is also supporting the UPA at the Centre," All India Congress Committee spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said.
The JMM has authorised Soren to decide the party's stand on the Presidential poll. The party has 18 MLAs in the Jharkhand Assembly and three MPs.
While Mukherjee is scheduled to visit Ranchi on Thursday, his opponent P A Sangma will be in the Jharkhand capital on Wednesday evening.
The Bharatiya Janata Party with 18 MLAs is having a coalition government with allies JMM, All Jharkhand Students Union and Janata Dal-United.
Ahmed said he had also spoken to another deputy CM and AJSU Party President Sudesh Mahto. "Even Mahto's tone and tenor over the phone was positive. He was out of Ranchi on Tuesday, and we may meet on Wednesday," he said.
The AJSU with six MLAs in the Assembly has also entrusted the job with Mahto.
Ahmed also met exercise minister Gopal Krishna Patar and Sudha Choudhary, both MLAs of the JD-U, whose central leadership has already announced that it would vote for Mukherjee.
The AICC leader called on Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantric) President and former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi to thank him for lining up his party's 11 MLAs and two MPs in favour of Mukherjee.
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