Left likely to pitch in for Vice President post

New Delhi, May 23: While a Congress nominee will in all certainty be the UPA-Left candidate for the Presidentship, the Left parties may stake their claim to the post of the Vice President, notwithstanding the CPI(M)'s claim that the subject was yet to be discussed.

The CPI and Forward Bloc said the Left's claim to the post which falls vacant a month after the President's term expires on July 24, is quite genuine given their '' consistant support'' to the three- year old UPA government and their strength in Parliament and various other states.

While CPI(M) senior leader Mohammad Salim said the subject was yet to be formally discussed, CPI National Secretary Shamim Faizi said, ''The Left has already made it clear that while the President has to be a public personality, the Vice President should be a renowned intellectual.'' Forward Bloc National Secretary G Devrajan said, ''We have every right to claim Vice Presidentship. Earlier, we supported Congress candidates Shankar Dayal Sharma and Dr K R Narayanan. We have asked the Congress to come out with a name for the Presidential polls within the broad framework we finalised at a joint meeting here on May 16.'' The Left leaders are understood to have discussed the issue informally and reached an understanding that the Left might not field their own candidate and rather support the Congress candidate.

They were also of the view that if the Left supported the Congress candidate, the nominee for the post of the Vice President should be either from the Left or Left-oriented. But the candidate would have to be nominated by the Left, they said.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) leaders Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury who were yesterday closeted with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for over one hour at 7, Race Course Road, are understood to have discussed the Presidential polls issue.

Mr Karat's reported remark that the whole process of finding a consensus candidate could stretch even up to June, indicates the possible efforts for reaching an understanding.

Left leaders said the NDA saying no to Dr APJ Kalam for a second term made it obvious that they had by now come to realise that the chances of their possible candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat for the President's post were not bright.

''The NDA may simply want that the post of the Vice President should fall into its lap, but that too is not possible,'' Mr Faizi said.

RSP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Abani Roy observed that in such a situation, the contest might become imminent as not even the Congress could agree to the NDA demand, if put forward.

''You know, it is nearly impossible to convince the BJP, which has its own divisive agenda,'' Mr Roy added.

On the presidential polls, Mr Salim said the consensus excecise was still on. Now the UPA leadership should take into confidence not only the sponsoring allies but also the supporting parties.

He hoped that the discussions would yield results and a most acceptable candidate could be found out.

''But on the post of the Vice President we have made no claim as yet,'' the CPI(M) leader added.

UNI