Kathmandu, Nov.8: Krishna Prasad Bhattarai Wednesday denied a claim by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala 24 hours earlier that he supported Koirala’s re-election bid for the presidential elections in January.

Koirala told journalists at a hastily called press conference at his official residence Tuesday that Bhattarai supported his candidacy.

‘ I have not supported him,” the ageing Bhattarai said as Koirala critics, including Bhattarai, accuse the Prime Minister of manipulating a voters’ list to manipulate the January elections.
” I told him the leadership of the party and the government should go to the younger generation and we should guide them,” Bhattarai said.

Bhattarai again asked Koirala to rectify the list of the party’s active members who are eligible to vote and contest internal party elections before the 10th. convention in Pokhara.
“The list should be rectified without discrimination. There should be internal democracy in the party,” Bhattarai said.

Koirala denied Tuesday he had tampered with the list.
Bhattarai again accused Koirala of defying understandings and party central committee decisions by unilaterally finalizing of the voters’ list.

Ageing Bhattarai and Koirala are the party’s two top leaders.

Young aspirant Sher Bahadur Deuba, also a former Prime Minister, is trying to wrest the presidency from Koirala.