By IANS
Chennai : The Third Front of eight political parties Monday urged President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to continue as the country's head of state for another five years.
Former Tamil Nadu chief minister and AIADMK chief J. Jayalalitha said after a meeting of the parties here that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate Pratibha Patil was a "joke" on the nation and was nowhere of the same "stature" as Kalam.
Jayalalitha said the Front would appeal to all political parties to support the candidature of Kalam, whose term ends next month.
Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Om Prakash Chautala, a former chief minister of Haryana, added: "I would like to appeal to everyone including the media to join hands to support Kalam because his presence is needed at this juncture for the country."
The Third Front's key constituents are AIADMK, INLD, Samajwadi Party and Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Leaders of these parties are seeking an appointment with Kalam to request him to stand for another term.
So far only Rajendra Prasad, the first president of India, has had two terms. All others have been president for only one term.