Vice President Poll Begins; Hamid Ansari Appears Set for a Second Time

Not only all UPA constituents but also the chiefs of the Samajwadi Party and the BSP, Mualyam Singh Yadav and Mayawati, attended the lunch.

The two leaders, arch rival in Uttar Pradesh politics, had not attended any such programme together for several years.

At the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters, party general secretary Digvijaya Singh held interactions with several MPs, especially those from Uttar Pradesh, to ensure voting is done properly during the Vice Presidential poll and no vote goes waste. The polling will take place from 10 am to 5 pm.

A total of 42 papers were filed by 31 candidates during the 14-day nomination process, of which four sets of papers submitted by Mr Ansari and three sets submitted by Mr Singh were accepted. The nomination papers of 29 others were rejected on various grounds.

Though the numbers are stacked highly against Mr Singh, the BJP is making all efforts to put up a respectable fight.

In Chennai, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa yesterday extended the AIADMK's support to the NDA nominee Jaswant Singh, saying she firmly believes that there has to be an opposition in a true democracy.