UT Pranab’s last campaign pit stop

Campaigning for the presidential elections is likely to be witnessed in the city, with Congress candidate and former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee expected to visit on July 15, the last day of campaigning. He would be meeting the MLAs and MPs of the states of Punjab and Haryana. BJP-backed candidate P A Sangma is, however, yet to finalise a plan for visiting the region.

Mukherjee is expected to come to Chandigarh on Sunday after having visited Srinagar on the same day. He would be meeting MLAs and MPs who are the voters for the presidential elections.

There are 90 Assembly seats in Haryana and 117 in Punjab. With Chandigarh being the capital of both, the city seems to have been chosen as a common spot for the campaign.

The MLAs from Himachal Pradesh, too, are also expected to be here. Mukherjee has already toured most parts of the country seeking support.

Union Minister Pawan Bansal, who is the election agent for Mukherjee, said that he would be in Chandigarh on July 15 and would be meeting the MLAs and MPs.

Meanwhile, the other candidate in the fray, P A Sangma, has not chalked out any plan to visit the city. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had announced its support for Sangma, with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal being present at Delhi when the nominations papers were filed.

Sangma had paid obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on June 24. However, the states of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are yet to be tapped.

A senior BJP leader claimed that since Mukherjee started his campaign earlier, he has been able to cover more areas. He said that Sangma's plan to visit the city was still uncertain.

With the elections scheduled for July 19, campaigning would come to an end on July 15. The run-up to the presidential elections has witnessed leaders from the city playing an active role.

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