The rebel Janata Dal-Secular faction led by Surendra Mohan on Thursday decided to support United Progressive Alliance candidate Pratibha Patil in the July 19 presidential election.
The National Executive Council meeting held in Bangalore unanimously decided to extend support to Pratibha, its president Surendra Mohan told reporters after the opening day's deliberations of the three-day conclave.
The meeting, the second one to be held after the JD-S split 18 months ago in the wake of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's group forming a coalition government with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka, passed two resolutions -- on the economic and political situation.
The meeting will deliberate on Friday on the political situation prevailing in Karnataka, where tension is building up between the JD-S and BJP, at least three months ahead of the transfer of power from the JD-S to BJP to lead the government.
The JD-S parliamentary party leader M P Veerendra Kumar, MP, said an "explosive" situation will emerge in Karnataka in the coming days.
The political resolution has dealt with the poll outcome in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh and emergence of the United National Progressive Alliance, a third front.
Scattered elements of the socialist movement, which have been discussing desirability of political solidification should create the widest platform of social transformation, it demanded.
The Left parties, UNPA and progressive constituents of UPA have a duty to help in the consolidation of a non-Congress and non-NDA platform committed to equality, freedom and democracy, it said.
