Flanked by several top UPA leaders and outside supporters, UPA's vice-presidential candidate Hamid Ansari filed his nomination papers on Wednesday.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who skipped the UPA's meeting last week where Ansari's candidature was decided, was present when Ansari filed his papers to returning office in Parliament building. Pawar also brought two other party leaders — Praful Patel and DP Tripath — adding to the NCP's presence.
SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati, both proposed Ansari's candidature in separate set of nomination papers. "The first set of nomination had Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi and PM Manmohan Singh among the proposers," parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said. CPM's Sitaram Yechury was also among the proposers but no other Left leader was present with Ansari.
Even as Trinamool said it will decide its stand on vice-presidential poll later, Congress managers are confident their biggest ally will support Ansari. "Out of a total electoral college of 790, we will definitely get more than 520 votes," Bansal said.
SP’s Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad (RJD), Ramvilas Paswan (LJP), Ajit Singh (RJD), Satish Mishra (BSP), Farooq Abdullah (NC) were also present when Ansari submitted his nomination papers.