Shivpal, Mulayam to support Ram Nath Kovind in presidential election

Lucknow: Sidelined Samajwadi Party leaders Shivpal Yadav and his elder brother Mulayam Singh Yadav have announced to support Ram Nath Kovind in the presidential elections.

Confirming the same, Shivpal, on Friday, said, "Following the instructions from SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, I will cast my vote in favour of NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind."

"I will also appeal the other SP MLAs to support Kovind in the presidential battle," he added.

It may be mentioned that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has announced his support to Opposition's candidate Meira Kumar.

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According to a source close to Mulayam Singh, eight of SP legislators are expected to do cross-voting in favour of Kovind, who has been fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presidential election, scheduled on July 17.

SP General Secretary Naresh Agarwal, however, rebutted the reports claiming that all the SP legislators and MPs were with Akhilesh Yadav and will not do cross-voting.