The Peasants Workers Party (PWP) is taking the initiative to form a third front comprising some of the smaller parties in the state, including Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Jansurajya Party and Communist Party of India (Maxist).
The alliance is still to take off though PWP leader and MLC Jayant Patil had announced that efforts were on to form such a front.
On Saturday, when this correspondent contacted Jayant Patil as well as Vinay Kore, former minister and Jansurajya Paksh president, both seemed not very interested in speaking about the initiative.
While Jayant Patil said efforts were on and that an announcement in this regard would be made by Monday, Kore said he would talk on the subject later. He, however, added that discussions were at the primary stage and nothing concrete has been finalised.
MNS general secretary Nitin Sardesai was not available for comment despite repeated attempts.
The PWP has four MLAs in the present assembly; the Jansurajya Party has two (Kore and another person from Malegaon) and the CPI (M) has one. With as many as 11 legislatures, the MNS will be the biggest party in the formation.
The PWP has large pockets of influence in Konkan region, especially Raigad district, and in a few pockets of western Maharashtra, including Kolhapur and Sangli. The Jansurajya Party is polpular in certain parts of western Maharashtra like Kolhapur.
Kore heads a co-operative group, WARNA, which has several successful co-operative institutions in the field of sugar and milk, as well as other agricultural and food processing units. The group enjoys sizeable influence in the co-operative arena of western Maharashtra.
The PWP has always been in the opposition, but has had tactical alliances with all parties. It had also sought MNS help during one of the legislative council elections. BJP leaders, meanwhile, have expressed confidence about PWP not being a part of a third front and posing problems to the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance.
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