V-P election may see Congress-Left face-off

Selecting the vice-presidential candidate is proving to be tough for the UPA and its allies, with the Congress ready to put its foot down on the Left proposal for a non-political nominee. The Congress, sources said, was likely to propose Union minister Jaipal Reddy for the post.

As the Left parties today held their first formal meeting to discuss the possible nominees, their choices, once again, narrowed down to a few Left intellectuals.

According to sources, the Left panel of nominees has academicians like Irfan Habib and Mushirul Hasan, besides Sayeed Hamid of Hamdard University, Hamid Ansari, India's former Ambassador to South Africa and chairman of the National Commission for Minorities and Swami Agnivesh.

Confirming this, CPI General Secretary AB Bardhan said they merely agreed on the criterion for selecting the nominee.

"He should not necessarily be from a political party but should have enough political sense to run the Rajya Sabha,'' Bardhan said.

The Left parties, which have been asked to select the vice-presidential candidate by the UPA, are likely to hold a series of meetings tomorrow to finalise the names, before meeting meet UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

However, Congress sources say the party has not given up completely and will fiercely oppose the proposal for fielding a non-political person. The party believes that Jaipal Reddy, from the socialist stock of politicians, may be acceptable to the Left parties.

A Congress leader said the Left floated the idea of having a non-political person as they knew that "the presiding officers of both Houses of Parliament cannot be from the Left."

Undeterred by a certain defeat in the presidential election, the NDA today said it would fight the next month's election for the vice-president's post. An NDA meeting at former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's residence, however, failed to name any candidate.