Leaders of Third Front brain-storm at Pawar residence
13 Aug 2015 5:33 AM IST
The meet brought together opposition parties that want the BJP to taste defeat in Bihar, where assembly elections are going to be held.
The meeting was an initiative of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and among those attending were SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and JD(U) president Sharad Yadav. Delhi CM Arvind <g data-gr-id="46">Kerjriwal</g> was also supposed to <g data-gr-id="49">come,</g> but didn’t show up.
The parties have decided to meet again on September 22 at the residence of Pawar. The political experts saw the meeting as a prelude to a new non-Congress, <g data-gr-id="45">non</g>-BJP grouping. The Congress is a partner in the Nitish Kumar-led coalition in Bihar and will contest 40 seats in the Bihar elections as a partner of Kumar’s JD-U and Lalu Yadav’s RJD.
According to sources, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee insisted that the Congress, who she will be battling soon in assembly elections in West Bengal, be kept away from Wednesday’s strategy meeting. Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress does not contest seats in Bihar and her initiative to organise the “chai pe <g data-gr-id="47">charcha</g>” is seen as designed to signal to the substantial chunk of minority voters in her state, that she is firmly aligned against the BJP.
The BJP, a minor player in Bengal so far, is rousing up its cadres in the state hoping to make big inroads in the next assembly elections. But before that it hopes to win neighbouring Bihar.
Miffed NCP pulls out of Bihar alliance
The anti-BJP alliance in poll-bound Bihar on Wednesday suffered a setback with Sharad Pawar’s NCP deciding to pull out after it was given a mere three seats out of the total 243 seats. NCP leader Tariq Anwar said he has convened a meeting of party leaders to decide the future course of action and said that the party could even go alone in the state. “Wanted to be with the JDU-RJD-Congress alliance, but since they don’t want NCP, they are not knowing my contribution,” Anwar said.
Next Story
