Mulayam eyes second Third Front

The battle between the two Yadavs 8212; RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav and UP Chief Minister and SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav 8212; has rev...

The battle between the two Yadavs 8212; RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav and UP Chief Minister and SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav 8212; has revealed the contours of the two power centres which have emerged for a non-NDA 8216;secular8217; government in the event of a hung Parliament. In the latest round of one-upmanship between the two camps, it was Mulayam8217;s turn today to assert his authority and influence in the power game.

In a statement, Mulayam said if, after the elections, 8216;8216;smaller, secular parties are in a better position8217;8217;, he would discuss with their leaders about the formation of a Third Front. While he said he was not in the race for leader of the Front nor for the PM8217;s post, he asserted yet again that the Third Front would be in place after the polls.

If Mulayam is desperate to get as many allies as he can on his side and is feeling increasing isolated, he has reason to feel so. Laloo has become the mouthpiece of the Congress coalition which has stitched up some formidable alliances in crucial states, which does not include the SP chief. The Congress, which should emerge as the single largest party on the non-NDA side, has alliances with Sharad Pawar8217;s NCP in Maharashtra; a rainbow coalition with the DMK and parties like the PMK, MDMK in Tamil Nadu; Laloo8217;s RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan8217;s LJP in Bihar; the influential TRS in Andhra Pradesh; the JMM in Jharkhand.

So, which 8216;8216;smaller, secular8217;8217; parties is Mulayam looking to? Apart from the pre-poll alliance he already has with Ajit Singh8217;s RLD, the parties which are still non-committed include Om Prakash Chautala8217;s INLD in Haryana; Farooq Abdullah8217;s National Conference in J-K; Deve Gowda8217;s JDS in Karnataka; Chandrashekhar8217;s SJP in UP; and Vijay Mallya8217;s Janata Party in Karnataka. And fact is he will have to work overtime to win them over.

However, the heavyweight which could decisively tilt the balance favourably in any camp is the Left Front. Says a source, 8216;8216;Mulayam is banking on his friendship with Surjeet to support his group rather than the Congress-led front. For he sees his role as king-maker, and even king, diminishing rapidly in the face of the Congress-led front. After all, Laloo and Paswan have already declared they will support Sonia Gandhi as PM. It remains to be seen how Mulayam will face up to the challenge after the polls.8217;8217;