The UPA has initiated consultations with friendly parties for the vice-presidential poll. Incumbent Hamid Ansari is the frontrunner to be the UPAs candidate. Over the last few days,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called up leaders of parties like the CPM and JD(S) to seek their views on consensus over a candidate,though it was apparently only in his discussions with JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda that Ansaris candidature was discussed. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called our leader on Saturday and discussed about vice-presidential election. Hamid Ansaris name came up during the discussion. Our party fully supports Ansaris candidature, JD(S) spokesperson Danish Ali told PTI. The CPM said no names were discussed during the Prime Ministers telephone conversation with party general secretary Prakash Karat. He asked for our view and I gave our partys view on the matter, Karat told The Indian Express without elaborating. Sources said that the divide in the CPM over support to the UPA candidate for president notwithstanding,the party might not be averse to backing Ansari who is not a Congressman,and had been the Left nominee in 2007. Sources in the CPI said the party was split between those who felt they should abstain and those in favour of voting for a neutral candidate like Ansari.
