India PM to seek vote of confidence

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will seek a confidence vote in his government after his left allies withdrew their support to protest a nuclear deal with the United States, his office said on Thursday.

The date will be likely announced on Friday.

"The prime minister met the president and sought a trust vote and the date will likely be decided tomorrow," a spokesman for the prime minister said.

Singh's four-year-old government has secured the backing of the key regional Samajwadi Party, but it is still unclear if the ruling coalition has enough votes for a parliamentary majority.

A defeat for the government in a no-confidence vote would trigger an early election, probably destroying chances of the nuclear pact going ahead and sparking political uncertainty just as the country struggles with record inflation and rising interest rates.

(Reporting by Nigam Prusty; Editing by Alistair Scrutton)