Mulayam Singh Yadav keeps Third Front door ajar for Didi

The former UP chief minister,who arrived in Kolkata on Sunday to attend the wedding ceremony of his party general secretary Kiranmoy Nanda’s daughter,said the Third Front will be formed only after the election and it won’t be a pre-poll alliance. “The fact is,in the coming elections,neither the Congress nor the BJP will be able to secure a majority. It is certain that those who are outside the two coalitions — UPA and NDA — will cross the majority mark in the next Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

“There are so many prospective political parties in the country which will emerge with new hopes after the next general elections,” he added.

Till date,there have been mixed signals from both the parties in roping each other in the new political front. A section of Trinamool Congress leaders have opposed any move to join hands with the SP,pointing to the presidential election “betrayal”; the SP,on the other hand,is keeping its options open.

A pointer to this was seen today with party leader Sanjay Dalmiya holding a meeting with CPM leaders led by former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at Alimuddin Street office. At the meeting,Dalmiya reportedly conveyed the CPM leadership that Mulayam wanted to rope in Left in any future alliance. Bhattacharjee also seemed to have told Mulayam’s emissary that his party wanted Mulayam to be on its side. “We consider Mulayam our ally. We will always try to strengthen our relationship with him,’’ said CPM leader Gautam Deb,who was present at the meeting.

He also said that a Left convention,to be held tomorrow in New Delhi,will discuss the formation of a new political front. “The Left will talk to other parties on this issue,’’ Deb added.