The Hindu : National : Sonia meets Bardhan, Biswas

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Friday, May 11, 2007
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Sonia meets Bardhan, Biswas

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Carrying forward the process of consultation on the presidential election, Congress president Sonia Gandhi met Communist Party of India general secretary A.B. Bardhan and his Forward Bloc counterpart, Debabrata Biswas, here on Thursday.

The Left leaders articulated three broad points. One, they were firmly opposed to a second term for President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; two, that Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat should not be elevated; and three, that the next President should not be a non-political person.

Ms. Gandhi said the Congress was yet to take a view on who could be the candidate, and that consultations with the allies and supporting parties were on, sources in the Left parties said.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has announced that it would hold consultations after the results of the Uttar Pradesh elections are out.

The Prime Minister's Office said the exercise conducted by Manmohan Singh was "preliminary and exploratory." In a statement, it said the names appearing in the media as possible candidates for the presidential elections were "speculative and premature."

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