Lucknow:
It's been a hectic day for President hopeful Pranab Mukherjee. After meeting Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav this afternoon, Mr Mukherjee also met MPs and MLAs from Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). After that, he met elected members from Mayawati's party. All these parties have committed to extend their support to him in the presidential poll.
This afternoon, Mr Mukherjee accompanied by union ministers Sri Prakash Jaiswal and RPN Singh were treated to a lavish lunch at Akhilesh Yadav's home.
Officials went into an overdrive after Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav decided to host a lunch for the visiting veteran leader.
The secretariat administration prepared invites and the menu for the grand reception.
Secretary of the Sachivalaya (secretariat) administration Prashant Trivedi told IANS that all the preparations were being made as per the "desired protocol".
Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi formed a committee to oversee Mukherjee's day-long visit to the state.
Lucknow is Mr Mukherjee's third stop after Chennai and Hyderabad. He is rallying support for himself for the July 19 presidential election, in which he is pitted against PA Sangma, who is supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Biju Janata Dal, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the AIADMK.