Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, an ally of the United Progressive Alliance, has taken up the responsibility to convince YSR Congress party to support the candidature of Pranab Mukherjee in the Presidential elections.

MIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi had a surprise visit to Chanchalguda jail Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday and appealed to him to extend his party’s support to the candidature of Pranab Mukherjee.

“We had a brief chat over the political developments in the state and the Centre. I also sought his party’s support to Pranab in the Presidential elections. I requested him not to ally with the National Democratic Alliance led by communal BJP under any circumstances,” he said.

Jagan gave a positive response to Owaisi and said he would definitely take into consideration the latter’s suggestion on the Presidential polls.

On the likely developments in the state politics in the wake of recent by-elections, Owaisi said the people had given the mandate to the Congress party to stay till 2014.

“My party, also, wants that the current Assembly completes its tenure. However, if for some extraneous reasons the state is forced to go for polls, we are ready to face them,” he said.