Sonia for Pranab; CPI favours Shinde as President

New delhi, May 10: Congress President Sonia Gandhi today sought CPI's support for putting up External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee as a candidate in the Presidential election, but the Left party favoured Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, the second choice of the UPA Chairperson, for the top job.

After a 45-minute one-to-one meeting with Ms Gandhi, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan told UNI that Congress leader Karan Singh, Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Home Minister Shivraj Patil were the other names that figured as possible candidates.

According to CPI National Secretary Shamim Faizi, the problem with the candidature of Mr Mukherjee is that he is the main person who manages most of the governmental work. He has been the chairman of most of the Group of Ministers constituted during the three-year rule of the UPA regime.

The CPI leader said Mr Mukherjee was the leader of the House in the Lok Sabha. The problem was that if he was elevated to Rashtrapati Bhavan there was no other Congress leader who could manage the government and party affairs efficiently.

Mr Bardhan said the Left was inclined to support Mr Shinde if his candidature was approved by the BSP which was likely to emerge as the single largest party in the Uttar Pradesh assembly.

The candidature of Dr Karan Singh and Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat were ruled out altogether during the discussion for their ''non-secular credentials.'' Ms Gandhi also broached the name of Mr Patil, but this was rejected by the Left. They pointed out that Mr Patil was not only a light weight, but was also perceived to be close to the Sangh Parivar.

Meanwhile, Mr Gurudas Dasgupta, CPI floor leader in the Lok Sabha, told reporters that the onus of finding a consensus candidate was on the Congress.

UNI