NEW DELHI, July 25: The United Front tonight decided not to give membership to the Rashtriya Janata Dal headed by Laloo Prasad Yadav. ``This is a fresh decision and should not be confused with last week's decision,'' Front spokesman Jaipal Reddy said after a three-hour-long meeting of the Front's Standing Committee at the Prime Minister's residence.

He said the decision on the continuance of the three RJD ministers in the United Front Government was left to Prime Minister I K Gujral. All the decisions were taken ``unanimously'', he added.

On the Front's stand for the Vice Presidential election, Reddy said the meeting constituted a three-member committee comprising Gujral, N Chandrababu Naidu and CPI(M) leader Harkishan Singh Surjeet, to hold consultations with the Congress for evolving a consensus on the candidate by tomorrow.

He said no names had been finalised so far though a number of names did figure.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.