DMK-Left meet on Prez fails, Cabinet puts off meet

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Thursday held talks with the Left parties in a bid to evolve a consensus on United Progressive Alliance's candidate for the post of President of India.

However, the 45-minute meeting was inconclusive.

Emerging from the meeting, Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat said the Left parties would be meeting Karunanidhi again on the issue in the evening.

Communist Party of India general secretary A B Bardhan and party leader V Raja also took part in the meeting, which took place in Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi. The leaders said no names were discussed during the meeting.

Meanwhile, the DMK chief, who has now assumed the role of the intermediary, would now have a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and convey the anger of the Left parties, as Mayawati was given priority over them despite the fact that it was the Left who had been supporting the government and not Mayawati.

After his meeting with Dr Singh on Wednesday, Karunanidhi had said that the Congress had given the names of Sushil Kumar Shinde, Karan Singh and Shivraj Patil for finalization after consultations with the Left parties, who had been supporting Pranab Kumar Mukerjee as UPA candidate for the top post.

PTI adds:

In a bid to evolve a consensus, Left leaders are scheduled to meet Dr Singh and Sonia later in the day.

Karunanidhi will also be having a second round of talks with the Congress president around noon at the prime minister's residence.

Meanwhile, a weekly cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday was deferred till Friday for holding consultations on the presidential election.

The DMK patriarch had on Wednesday said that he had come to New Delhi to mediate between Congress and the Left to resolve differences between them.

Congress has asked leaders of UPA allies to be available in the capital for consultations till June 17, indicating thereby that the formal announcement of the alliance nominee will be made by that day.

The Opposition camp also geared up for a fight with National Democratic Alliance leaders suggesting that the formal announcement of Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's nomination as an independent candidate would be made on June 18.