Bardhan frontrunner to be Left nominee for VP

New Delhi, July 10: With the Election Commission issuing notification for the Vice-Presidential poll, hectic political activity has started in the Left parties to decide on the nominee of the second largest grouping in the ruling alliance.

Even though the Left parties were yet to take up the issue formally, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan was emerging as the frontrunner to be the Left nominee for the post.

The names of Left leaning intellectuals like Irfan Habib and West Bengal Speaker Hashim Abdul Haleem are also doing the rounds.

The Left has already made it clear that they would like to have ''a greater say'' in choosing the next Vice-President in lieu of their support to the UPA nominee Ms Pratibha Patil for presidency.

CPI(M) senior leader Mohammad Salim said, ''No discussion has taken place on the matter so far. The whole issue will come up for discussion only after the July 19 Presidential poll.'' To a specific query if his party would ''postively consider'' Mr Bardhan's name for the post of the Vice-President, Mr Salim, the party Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha said, ''The issue will be discussed as and when it comes up.'' When the same question was put to Forward Bloc General Secretary Debvrat Biswas, he remarked ''Bahut achha hai''(This is very good) but wondered if the CPI had got someone to replace Mr Bardhan, a veteran communist and freedom fighter.

The CPI leaders say that the Left would like to have a greater say in choosing the Vice President.

Though the CPI was reluctant to comment on the subject, it was very much on the mind of the leadership that it has to take a position on the same in its National Council Meet, beginning here on July 12.

They said the Communist parties after clinching the issue in their respective bodies, would go for a meeting of the Left to finalise the candidate.

They say though some quarters have suggested that a known intellectual of Left leanings or a renowned personality, should be put up, but others feel that the person should be well versed with the political as well as parliamentary practices.

This is necessary as the Vice-President has also to preside over the Rajya Sabha, they said.

Incidently among the names being floated, Mr Bardhan has all the necessary qualifications, they said, adding that he was an MLA for the second assembly of the erstwhile state of Bombay and is one of the tallest political leaders in the country.

They claimed that Mr Bardhan would be supported by not just the UPA but also by the UNPA constituents as well.

This claim holds strong as the AIADMK chief and leader of the UNPA J Jayalalithaa has described the Left as their ''friends and natural ally'' while the CPI(M) in its Central Committee meeting stated that the party was in constant touch with the UNPA members such as the TDP, SP and the AGP.

Also, the name of Mr Bardhan was actually suggested by TDP chief Chandra Babu Naidu.

UNI