NCP leader P A Sangma in the race for presidential polls scheduled for next month, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Agatha Sangma today met Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here.
Though both Agatha Sangma and Naveen Patnaik described their 90-minute meeting as 'courtesy call', it assumed significance in view of the fact that the latter, who is also the BJD president, was the first to propose Sangma's name as a candidate for the country's highest post.
The two leaders also held an one-to-one closed door meeting for about 30 minutes after holding discussion on rural development and related issues in the presence of officials, official sources said.
Asked whether the issue relating to presidential polls figured during the discussion, the union minister said "No. I had a lovely lunch with the chief minister and we talked about rural development and women self help groups in Odisha."
Agatha, who is on a two day visit to the state, is slated to attend Late Former Odisha Chief Minister Nandini Satpathy's birth anniversary celebration here as the chief guest.
"Besides, I will also visit some villages in Konark area tomorrow," she said.
Patnaik had proposed the name of Sangma, former Lok Sabha Speaker, for presidentship in May after consulting AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jaylalithaa. Agatha had met the BJD supremo in April and also accompanied her father to Chennai when they met Jayalalithaa. Sangma had also met Patnaik in Delhi before the latter undertook a visit to London last month.
