Nitish may back Hamid Ansari if UPA declares him its candidate for Vice Prez polls

Bihar Chief Minister and Janta Dal United (JD-U) head in the state Nitish Kumar may support Hamid Ansari for the second term as vice president if the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) declares his candidature, a senior leader close to Nitish told media in an unofficial talk, media reports say.

"Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is in favour of supporting Hamid Ansari if the UPA declares his candidature for the upcoming vice presidential polls," an anonymous leader said.

Nitish Kumar is supporting Pranab Mukherjee who is UPA's nominee for Presidential polls set to be held on July 19. And it is believed that he can also go in the favour of Ansari if he is made UPA's candidate for Vice Prez polls.

Another leader said Nitish Kumar had told the party that Ansari was the best option for the JD-U's support.

The vice presidential elections will be held Aug 7, if required. The last date for filing nominations is July 20. The date for the scrutiny of nomination is July 21, while the last date for the withdrawals is July 23.

--With IANS Inputs--