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| CPI's Bardhan may be Vice-President candidate | | |
BL KAK
NEW DELHI, JULY 11: With a week left for the much-awaited Presidential poll, a race has begun for the post of India's VicePresident. And with the sharp battle lines drawn between the ruling Congress and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) vis-a-vis the upcoming Presidential election, Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary, AB Bardhan, has emerged front runner to become the country's next Vice-President.
If selected as the nominee of the ruling United Progressive Alliance-Left Front coalition, Bardhan may become the first Communist Vice-President of the country. Incidentally, UPA-Left nominee, Pratibha Patil, is in the running to become the first woman President of the country. The UPA-Left combine is slated to formally discuss the issue after the July 19 Presidential poll. July 23 is the last date for filing of nomination for the August 10 poll to elect the next Vice-President. The UPA and the Left had reached an understanding that in lieu of the Left supporting Pratibha Patil, the post of Vice-President will be offered to it.
There is a strong possibility that the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) may not field a candidate for the Vice-President's post considering the overwhelming majority the UPA-Left enjoys in the 790-member electoral college, comprising members of both Houses of Parliament. Besides Bardhan, names of Left intellectual Irfan Habib, Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, and West Bengal Assembly Speaker, Abdul Haleem, are also in the reckoning.
The three junior partners of the Left Front, namely the CPI, Forward Block and the Revolutionary Socialist Party, have joined hands to ensure that 'big brother' Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) does not get away claiming the Vice-President's post. That means Chatterjee and Haleem may get ruled out of the race since they belong to the CPM.
The next Vice-President's post assumes significance in view of the fact that in case of a UPA-Left victory in 2009 general elections, the person elected Vice-President now will have a greater stake in becoming their nominee for the 2012 Presidential election. Although the Congress party is officially committed to offering the Vice-President's post to one of its allies, a section within the party is of the view that since it is the largest party in both Houses of Parliament, it should stake claim for the Vice-President's post too.
The United National Progressive Alliance of eight regional parties has already informed the Left leadership that it would support a Left nominee as the next Vice-President. This has further strengthened the Left Front's claim for the coveted post since they may not necessarily extend their support in case of a Congress nominee being fielded for the post. The CPM leadership is not pleased with its three junior partners ganging up against it by proposing Bardhan's candidature.
The Congress party on the other hand is ready with an alternative plan by proposing name of the West Bengal Governor Gopal Gandhi, grandson of "Father of the Nation" Mahatma Gandhi as a consensus nominee in case of a log jam. Congress sources said that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi may start consulting all allies to finalise the nominee on July 20 and 21.
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