Parties start looking at post-poll options

With polling in a majority of the constituencies over and just the final round to go on May 13...

With polling in a majority of the constituencies over and just the final round to go on May 13,parties have started taking the first steps of tentative positioning and reaching out to different camps in the National Capital.

Though most of the top leaders of smaller parties are busy with the final round of the electoral battle,their subordinates are already in New Delhi to prepare the ground for possible tie-ups for government formation after May 16.

The Fourth Front trio of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav,RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan are scheduled to meet on May 14 or 15 to take stock of the elections and discuss their strategies,but some second-rung leaders of these parties have already arrived in the Capital and are learnt to be establishing contacts.

With elections in Bihar over,LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan himself was in New Delhi for a couple of days before leaving for campaigning in Rajasthan and West Bengal,and was learnt to have established contacts with some Congress leaders. From the RJDs side,Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Corporate Affairs Minister Prem Chand Gupta are also back and are reaching out to the Congress as well as Left leaders. Lalu is still in Patna and his aides say he will reach Delhi only after Mulayam Singh Yadav is free after the last phase on May 13. The two Yadav leaders are eyeing a pivotal role in government formation this time.

Asked about the RJD contacting the Left,Raghuvansh Prasad Singh,however,refrained from confirming anything but pointed out that support of the Left was necessary for the formation of a secular government at the Centre. He is known to have a good rapport with the Congress as well as Left leaders and has therefore been sent to prepare the ground for Lalu. Already,sources say,the RJD chief himself has got in touch with both CPI and CPIM leaders to keep a second window open. He just wanted to convey that he was also around, said a CPIM leader.

The Left,while remaining noncommittal to Lalu,is in touch with Nitish Kumar as well as Sharad Yadav. CPI general secretary A B Bardhans contacts cutting across party lines are being revived to engage Yadav while CPIM Politburo member Sitaram Yechury is silently tapping the Bihar CM.

Another key player in the Lefts post-poll scheme of things is NCP chief Sharad Pawar. To some extent,the NCPs point man in Delhi D P Tripathi is learnt to be in touch with key Left leaders.

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Despite their inherent anger against the Congress for dividing the secular votes in UP and Bihar by choosing to go alone,Fourth Front members continue to bank on the grand old party for government formation. Till May 16,anything would be just speculation. The picture will be clear only after the numbers show who stands where, said RJD vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.