By IANS
New Delhi : The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Sunday said it would support any candidate of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for the presidential elections to be held next month.
"Not a single vote will be transferred from UPA to any other candidate. We are with UPA-Left on the issue of the presidential poll," senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh told reporters after the party's daylong national executive here.
The RJD leader endorsed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that the presidential candidate should be selected on the basis of consensus.
Manmohan Singh had said that just as the Congress had supported the then ruling coalition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) when it had fielded President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam as a candidate in 2002, the NDA should similarly support the UPA this time so that there is consensus on the candidate.
Brushing aside chances of cross voting in the UPA in the event of an election, the RJD said it was dead against the ideology of Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) and would fully support any candidate of the ruling coalition for the top job.
Asked if any candidate had been suggested by the RJD to UPA leaders, Raghuvansh Prasad said discussions were on among the coalition partners.
On close relations between RJD chief and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, a possible independent candidate for the president's post, he said, "close personal relation does not mean political vote".