CPI-M for re-nominating Narayanan for president's post

KOLKATA: CPI-M leader Jyoti Basu on Thursday indicated that his party would not favour P C Alexander''s candidature for the presidential election and said that the present incumbent K R Narayanan should be re-elected on the basis of a consensus.
Emerging from a meeting of the Left Front, Basu when asked about his party''s choice for the presidential candidate, said, "Our party still views that the present President should be re-elected on a consensus vote, though the BJP does not favour him much.Let us watch the developments."
Basu also hinted that CPI(M) would not favour Alexander''s nomination for presidential election.
The veteran marxist leader said that the CPI-M politburo and Central Committee would deliberate on a possible consensus on the re-election of K R Narayanan as President at its meeting in Bangalore later this month.
Basu said he had seen press reports that Samajwadi Party, a partner of the People''s Front, and some other parties favoured P C Alexander''s candidature while the name of noted nuclear scientist A P J Abdul Kalam was also doing the rounds.
The Bangalore meeting would discuss the issue threadbare, he said.
Echoing him, CPI(M) politburo member Biman Bose said his party had already stated that it had no objection if Narayanan was re-nominated for the highest constitutional post. "However, this issue will come up for discussion in our politburo and central committee meetings when so many names are being discussed," he said.