Prez polls: Stalin, Baalu meets Gandhi, PM

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leaders T.R. Baalu and M.K. Stalin on Thursday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi to discuss on the selection of candidate for the upcoming Presidential election.

Baalu and Stalin met Singh and Gandhi on Thursday and called the meeting a ´courtesy call´.

"Whatever Karunanidhi had conveyed to Defence Minister A.K. Antony is the party's stand on the selection of UPA's Presidential candidate," Stalin told reporters after meeting Singh on Thursday.

Defence Minister AK Antony had earlier met DMK supremo M Karunanidhi over the issue.

Karunanidhi on May 5 said his party is ready to support Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as the Presidential candidate.

Karunanidhi told reporters: "In case he (Pranab Mukherjee) is the candidate of the UPA coalition then the DMK will not be hesitating in supporting his candidature."

Pertinently, the DMK is a key ally to the Centre.

Meanwhile, Gandhi has been vested the authority to select the candidate for the crucial Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections that is scheduled to take place in July.

Union Finance Minister and party veteran Pranab Mukherjee moved a resolution during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Monday that gave Gandhi the authority to choose the candidates.

Gandhi on Tuesday reportedly met Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) supremo Ajit Singh over the issue.

The presidential elections have grabbed attentions in recent times with different parties fielding different candidates for it.

Names of Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma are making rounds for the past couple of months as candidates for the top political position.

The election is scheduled to take place in July.