UPA’s Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee’s first port of call in his campaign will be the City on Saturday.
Indeed, he is toeing the line of outgoing President Pratibha Patil since DMK chief Karunanidhi was instrumental in her candidature.
Karunanidhi had sent his son and party treasurer Stalin as an emissary to meet Pranab insisting that the campaign should formally be kicked off from Chennai, which was being now honoured by Pranab.
The DMK and the TNCC had made elaborate arrangements to accord a rousing reception to Pranab, who would reach the Tambaram Air Force Station at 4.15 from Delhi. Pranab would garland the Rajiv Gandhi statue in Saidapet at 4.50 pm and would proceed to meet Karunanidhi at his Gopalapuram residence at 5.35 pm.
Besides the DMK top brass, Stalin and Alagiri would also be present during the meeting.
Pranab would be escorted to Hotel Park Sheraton by the DMK leaders for a feast there at 6.15 pm. TNCC chief BS Gnanadesikan, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan and other politicians have been invited to the feast. From there, Pranab would reach, Sathyamoorthy Bhavan, where he was expected to meet the media.
He would return to the Hotel where he was scheduled to meet CPM MLAs and MPs around 9 pm. He will leave for Hyderabad by air around 8.15 am on Sunday. Security was beefed up in the city in view of his visit.