Pawar spoke to Patnaik to secure BJD support for UPA

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said he spoke to BJD chief and Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to secure his support for UPA's bid to form a government at the Centre.

"I have contacted Naveen Patnaik because NCP and BJD are contesting elections together in Orissa. I have eight candidates for assemble elections and one for Lok sabha," he said.

Pawar, however, denied having contacted either BSP chief Mayawati or AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa."I have not contacted them", he said.

Pawar distanced himself from party colleague P A Sangma's appeal to Congress to support a Pawar-led Third Front government.

" His appeal is not acceptable to NCP, that I can tell you. In Meghalaya, there was a proposal to form a Congress-NCP government but Congress let us down. It might be a reaction to that," Pawar said.