In the event of a hung Parliament, veteran Marxist Jyoti Basu may have a good chance of becoming India's Prime Minister because the Leftist parties will end up with 50 to 60 seats in the Lok Sabha.
This is the opinion of Jalaluddin Ansari, state secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI).
"We are hopeful that Joyti Basu may become the next prime minister if elections lead to a hung parliament," he said.
"Joyti Basu is more competent than (Prime Minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayee to head a coalition government because he has headed a coalition for nearly 25 years in West Bengal," Ansari said.
The Centre-Left United Front wanted to prop up Basu as Prime Minister of a coalition government in 1996, but his Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) rejected the offer.
Later, a livid Basu called his party decision a "historic blunder".
Ansari said the CPI, CPI-M and smaller Leftist parties were together expected to win 50 to 55 seats in the Lok Sabha election and could "play a major role in the formation of a government if there is a hung parliament".