CPI-M to support UPA's candidate Hamid Ansari

Communist Party of India – Marxist would support the candidature of United Progressive Alliance's nominee Hamid Ansari for the post of vice president and would make a formal announcement on Monday, senior party leader Sitaram Yechuri said on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters, he recalled that it was the CPI-M, along with other Left parties, which had proposed the name of Ansari in 2007 for the vice president's post, which was accepted by the Congress-led UPA.

The Left parties were supporting the UPA-1 government from outside at that time.

CPI-M has already declared its support for UPA's Presidential poll candidate Pranab Mukherjee.

CPI-M will consult other like-minded parties and a formal announcement on extending support to Hamid Ansari for a second term would be made on Monday, he said.

The name of 75-year-old Ansari was announced by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi at a meeting of the Congress-led coalition at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence in New Delhi.