New Delhi, June 21 (IBNS) Left Front is divided over lending support to Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for the post of President.
While a Left Front meeting is currently on in New Delhi on Thursday, leaders of various parties in the fold hinted about their choices and it seems while the biggest left outfit Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Forward Bloc would support Mukherjee, the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) would abstain from voting scheduled for July 19.
CPI-M senior leader Sitaram Yechury was quoted in media saying that they have "agreed to disagree" on the issue.
"Our meeting is on, we will let you know soon our decision," both CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta and CPI-M leader Basudeb Acharya told IBNS.
Earlier in the day, the BJP announced to oppose Pranab Mukherjee and support instead P A Sangma.
The Presidential election contest hotted up on Thursday with the BJP decision to back former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma as their candidate against Pranab Mukherjee, though their coalition group National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is divided on the issue.
"We have decided to back Mr P A Sangma. Both A P J Abdul Kalam whose name was proposed by Mamata Banerjee and Sangma were good, but Kalam decided not to contest," BJP senior leader Sushma Swaraj told reporters here at a press conference.
"Sangma is a tall leader and he is the tallest leader of the Northeast," said Swaraj.
Sangma a day ago has quit his party Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to contest the Presidential poll since NCP refused to support his candidature and instead backed the Union Finance Minister (Pranab Mukherjee), the candidate of the Congress.
NDA partners Janata Dal (United) and Shiv Sena, however, said they would support Pranab Mukherjee.
Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress, the second biggest constituent of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), however has virulently opposed the candidature of Pranab Mukherjee.
