The third front has hit a wall at least for the time being, thanks to confusion and the personal agendas of potential partners.
Allies jump around for better deals, lose focus on third alternativeNEW DELHI: The third front has hit a wall at least for the time being, thanks to confusion and the personal agendas of potential partners. The CPI(M), the mover of the third front, has decided go slow on the new formation till November.
Instead of a third alternative, the party is talking about an “electoral alternative” to the Congress and the BJP at national level. The politburo discussed the political situation on Saturday and decided to wait for some time.
Sources said among the reasons for the go slow are the stand taken by BSP chief Mayawati, waiting game of Andhra Pradesh megastar Chiranjeevi and ADMK chief Jayalalithaa.
In July, the BSP, Left and the UNPA had announced that soon they would launch a campaign against the UPA and a committee will be set up to run the agitation. But soon the camaraderie crumbled when RLD chief Ajit Singh criticised Mayawati for not agreeing to electoral alliance in UP.
Mayawati was in Delhi on Saturday and Sunday but there was no discussion with the Left and UNPA leaders. But Congress leader Rajeev Shukla is rumoured to have paid a discreet visit fuelling various theories - that he visited on his personal capacity to discuss some problems faced by a Reliance project in UP, that he may be cosying up to the BSP to join it later, that the Congress is trying to send a message to tough bargainers Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh.
The CPI(M) was also alarmed when Mayawati said she would contest several seats in Kerala and West Bengal besides Tamil Nadu. The Marxists believe that once Mayawati sets her feet in Kerala, its sizeable dalit support base may shift to the BSP. Also, the BSP chief refused to concede even a single seat to the CPI(M) and CPI in her Uttar Pradesh.
The comrades are also worried about SP leaders Amar Singh, Jaya Bachchan and Jaya Prada calling on Chiranjeevi on Sunday. Speculation is rife that the leaders met the cinestar to seek an alliance in the state to distance Chiranjeevi from the Left.
k_benedict@dnaindia.net 
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