Third Front can decide on PM after polls: Karat

The Third Front need not name its prime ministerial candidate before the Lok Sabha elections because the country does not follow a presidential system as to who should be the leader, the CPI-M has said.  

With several possible prime ministerial contenders emerging in the fledgling alliance of Left and regional parties, CPI-M also said no party is barred from making their own "legitimate efforts" to project their leader as prime minister. It, however, said no party can "dictate" to the others as to who should be the prime minister.  

"Ours is not a presidential system, a referendum or who should be the leader. The prime minister is one among the equals and in a coalition, particularly when we have a coalition government, I think it depends on the views of the parties," CPI-M chief Prakash Karat told NDTV when asked whether the Third Front was shying away from projecting a leader for the Lok Sabha elections.  

"All coalition partners in the Third Front have their own ideas that their leader should be the prime minister. But it is a matter to be decided after the elections. I think that is the position taken by all the parties which have joined together (in Third Front)," Karat said.

The CPI-M leader said he does not envisage the possibility of him becoming the prime minister in the event of the Left joining any Government after the Lok Sabha polls.

Karat also said there is no bitterness with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh though they parted ways after the Left withdrew support to the UPA government, describing his relationship as "political and not a personal one".