Lagarde visiting India to garner support for top IMF job

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, one of the favourites for the top job at the International Monetary Fund, is scheduled to meet Indian leaders on Tuesday in an effort aimed at garnering support for her candidature as successor to Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, one of the favourites for the top job at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is scheduled to meet Indian leaders on Tuesday in an effort aimed at garnering support for her candidature as successor to Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

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Lagarde is likely to meet senior leaders in New Delhi including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to seek India's support for her bid, officials said Monday.

The French minister has officially declared her intention to stand for the position of managing director of the IMF, which fell vacant after Strauss-Kahn quit last month following accusation of sexual misconduct.

Lagarde is also scheduled to visit other developing countries, including China, Brazil and some African countries, to seek their support for her candidature.

Developing countries, including India, have been demanding that the next IMF chief should be from a developing country.

Since its inception, the IMF has always been headed by a European. Four out of the 10 IMF managing directors so far have been from France.