Can Left parties get Vice-Presidentship?

New Delhi, June 17: Left parties today threw broad hints that the next Vice-President could be a Left leader or a public figure with Left leanings.

Senior Left leaders said the UPA leadership would have to concede their demand for the Vice-Presidentship keeping in mind that while the top constitutional post goes to the largest group, the second top position goes to second largest formation group, which is the Left.

However, formal discussions between the UPA and the Left on this issue are expected to gain momentum only after the Presidential polls on July 19 are over. A broad understanding has already been reached on the subject, sources told UNI.

But so far only preliminary discussions have taken place, the top leaders of the CPI, CPI(M) and Forward Bloc said, adding that ''first they would seek the opinion of the Lok Sabha Speaker in this matter. If he declines the post, the Left will have to suggest other names. It could be even among the UPA partners.'' CPI veteran and Communist A B Bardhan said the discussions are on and added that ''if the nominee is from the Left it would be good.'' But it can be from some other party and not necessarily from the Left.'' CPI senior leader S Sudhakar Reddy said, ''while agreeing on the Presidential condidate, the UPA and the Left agreed that together they would take the initative to propose the consensus candidate for the President's post.''

The sources said the UPA leadership when reminded that the Left being the second largest political grouping in the UPA, should be given the chance to choose the next Vice-President, they replied, ''theek hai( It is all right).'' The Left leaders insist that the UPA leadership would positively consider their suggestion. ''it is most likely that we will propose the name of the Vice-President,... it could be a Left leader or any other democrat and progressive public figure.'' The CPI leader said they did not hold any formal discussion on the subject with either Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. ''But the UPA allies support us on this issue.''

''But the UPA leadership would have every right to accept or reject our proposed candidate for the Vice-President, as we did not accept their Presidential candidates Shivraj Patil, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Dr Karan Singh and others.'' The CPI veteran said so they would submit at least two to three names for the post.

Forward Bloc National Secretary G Devrajan said the issue came up during Left meetings in the last two months. The common understanding was that the Left should let the UPA leadership to propose the name of the Presidential candidate and the Left choose a Vice-Presidential candidate.

''Even no formal decision has been taken so far but the broad understanding between the UPA and the Left is that the next Vice President will be of the Left's choice,'' the Forward Bloc leader said, adding that in the present political context, the Left's choice is paramount.

While claiming that ''no quesiton of bargaining on the issue,'' Mr Devrajan said it is natural that while the ruling coalition is given the prerarogative to choose the next President, the Left parties with as many as 64 MPs be given the chance to choose the next Vice-President.

CPI(M) senior leader Mohammad Salim said when the Presidential candidate is now finalised unanimously by the UPA and the Left and Mrs Pratibha Patil getting overwhelming support, the process of selecting the Vice-President will start.'' The party Deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Mr Salim, hoped that a ''positive result'' would come out.

UNI