This was disclosed by Yeltsin's Chief of Staff, Nikolai Bordyuzha, during a confidential meeting with the heads of Russia's three major television stations, RTR, ORT and NTV, media reports say.

Recently, Yeltsin assigned Bordyuzha to look after the television affairs in view of the coming parliamentary elections. State-controlled RTR and ORT, and private-owned NTV played a crucial role in Yeltsin's reelection in 1996, undermining his arch-foe Communist leader, Gennady Zyuganov.

Yeltsin had almost anointed Chernomyrdin as his successor in a nationally televised address after he fired Sergei Kiriyenko and reappointed Chernomyrdin as prime minister in last September. However, his plan fell apart when the Opposition-dominated State Duma, refused to approve him for the post.

Ever since, Chernomyrdin has been struggling to keep himself afloat aschairman of Our Home Is Russia party, which has been marred with embarrassing rounds of public infighting and defections of key leaders. Recently, he fired parliamentary factional leader, Alexander Shokhin, in a row over party's leadership.

A number of important regional leaders, on whose support Chernomyrdin was counting on, have also recently deserted the party. After falling from the grace, Chernomyrdin's popularity rating has slumped to two percent, the lowest among the likely candidates for the presidential race in 2000.

Last week, in reply to a question during an interview with ORT, Yeltsin refused to tell whom he would back in the presidential election, saying he will announce it at an appropriate time.

Kremlin insiders say, Yeltsin intends to back Chernomyrdin, despite his low rating. Yeltsin's rating itself was the lowest before the last presidential poll, but he won a convincing victory in the second round, defeating Zyuganov, they point out.