Bengaluru: The JD(S) on Sunday decided to support former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, the opposition candidate in the Presidential polls.

Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and his son H.D. Kumaraswamy endorsed the candidature of Meira by signing on her nomination papers in the presence of Congress leaders in Bengaluru. Earlier, KPCC President Dr. G. Parameshwara, AICC Secretary Suraj Hegde and other Congress leaders met Gowda at his residence in Bengaluru and sought JD-S’ support for Meira.

JD(S) has 40 MLAs and three MPs. However, the party has expelled eight of its MLAs on the grounds of indulging in anti-party activities during last year’s Rajya Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that by extending support to UPA nominee Meira Kumar, the  JD(S) in Karnataka is attempting to score brownie points over its rivals ahead of 2018 Assembly polls, by wooing SC Left.

Meira, the daughter of former Dy. PM Jagjivan Ram, hails from Chamar caste (In Karnataka it is in the SC Left category). NDA’s Ramnath Kovind is from Koli community which is not included in SC category in Karnataka.