India has asked its executive director in IMF to stay in touch with different countries on the issue of selection of the new IMF head even as the front-runner Christine Lagarde planned a visit here soon.
"We have suggested to our executive director [Arvind Virmani] in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to talk to various countries", Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters here.
Besides French Finance Minister Lagarde, seen as a strong candidate, there are four to five other aspirants in the race for the post vacated by Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
Mukherjee said candidates from Mexico, South Africa, Singapore and Kazakhstan have also expressed their desire to be in the reckoning.
IMF has been traditionally headed by a European, while the top position of the World Bank is occupied by a candidate from the US.
Europe and the US have a combined voting share of over 50 per cent in the IMF and hence their support is crucial for an aspirant for the top post.
