Kalam's name adds mischief to presidential poll: Karunanidhi

Chennai, June 15 (IANS) Maintaining that the DMK would support the Congress-backed candidate for the president's post, its chief M. Karunanidhi Friday said the suggestion of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's name for the top job had added "mischief" to the election process.

Responding to a reporter's query on Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's suggestion of Kalam as the presidential candidate, Karunanidhi said: "In Tamil, Kalam also means mischief. Somehow there is mischief in the presidential elections."

With this, Karunanidhi has ruled out DMK's support for Kalam's candidature.

Queried further on the party's stand in the presidential elections, he said: "We are firm on our earlier stand."

The presidential election is scheduled to be held July 19.

Karunanidhi said Congress president Sonia Gandhi, through Defence Minister A.K. Antony, had informed him about her choice for the president's post and he had extended his support to that proposal. "The DMK will not back out of that assurance."

When asked about the electoral setback suffered by the Congress in the recent assembly elections and by-elections in Andhra Pradesh, and whether these losses would echo in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Karunanidhi said: "Victory cannot echo losses."