Left formally withdraws support

Led by Prakash Karat, general secretary, Communist Party of India (M), the leaders of three other Left parties, the Communist party of India, Forward Block and Republican Socialist party-met President Pratibha Patil and handed her their separate letters of withdrawal of support to the Manmohan Singh government.

The Left parties, which had a four-year love-hate relationship with the UPA government, have 59 members in the Lok Sabha.