Mayawati to host dinner for Front constituents

With the BSP keen to project her as the newly-formed Third Front's prime ministerial candidate, party supremo Mayawati has invited leaders of the Front's constituents to a dinner meeting on March 15. Special: My India My Vote 2009

With the BSP keen to project her as the newly-formed Third Front's prime ministerial candidate, party supremo Mayawati has invited leaders of the Front's constituents to a dinner meeting on March 15 in New Delhi.

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Mayawati has never shied away from projecting her prime ministerial ambitions.

Her representative at the Front's launching rally on Thursday at Tumkur near Bangalore, and party general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra, has said "It is the aim of the BSP to make Mayawati the prime minister."

Given this backdrop, the March 15 meeting assumes significance as the leadership issue will almost certainly be discussed although the Third Front has so far taken the line that the prime ministerial question would be addressed only after the Lok Sabha elections are over and results declared.

Sources in the JD(S), however, said the dinner meeting could discuss the modalities of the proposed 'National Policy Document' of the Front.

Former Prime Minister and JD (S) chief H D Deve Gowda had said during the rally on Thursday that the Front will come out with the document for the Lok Sabha polls.

Despite the presence of Mishra at the rally, the BSP is yet to declare unequivocally whether it is a part of the Third Front or not.

The new grouping is also trying to woo Orissa strongman Naveen Patnaik, chief of the BJD.

While BJD has indicated that it would go in for seat sharing with some of the Front constituents, especially the two left parties -- CPI and CPI(M), it has, however, refused to join any alliance before the Lok Sabha elections.

"The BJD will not participate in any Front now," party MP Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, considered the main strategist of Patnaik, told reporters on Thursday.

As soon as BJD snapped its ties with the BJP, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury rushed to Orissa and asked Patnaik to join the Third Front.

Patnaik, who agreed on seat-sharing with Left parties, NCP and JMM, reportedly told Yechury that the regional party would take the decision regarding its participation in the Third Front only after the elections.
No BJD representative was present at the Front rally.