Left parties were on Thursday divided on the Presidential election with CPI-M and Forward Bloc deciding to support UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee while CPI and RSP opting to abstain from the voting.
The four parties could not arrive at a consensus at an hour-long meeting here this evening attended by top leaders of the parties, including Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), A B Bardhan (CPI), T J Chandrachoodan (RSP) and Debabrata Biswas (FB).
"Two parties have declared they will support Pranab Mukherjee, two parties have decided they will abstain," Bardhan told reporters without elaborating. Karat said his party has decided to support the candidature of 77-year-old Mukherjee as "in the present situation, he is the candidate for the post of President with the widest possible acceptance".
The CPI-M leader said support to Mukherjee did not mean backing for Congress and that his party will ‘resolutely fight’ the ‘anti-people’ policies of UPA government.
Forward Bloc General Secretary Debabrata Biswas said his party was not in favour of abstaining from the voting slated for July 19 for which the battle lines have been drawn between Mukherjee and P.A. Sangma. RSP General Secretary T.J. Chandrachoodan said his party will abstain from the voting.