Mulayam, Surjeet meet Jaipal Reddy

Cong spokesman Jaipal Reddy "dropped in" at Surjeet's residence, where the CPM leader was holding talks with Mulayam.

With hung Parliament becoming a definite possibility, parties not aligned to any large formation on Wednesday held hectic strategic sessions to discuss government formation.

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Samajwadi party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav met veteran CPM leader HS Surjeet again this afternoon, after a first round of parleys late on Tuesday.

Shortly after the two leaders went into a huddle at the CPM leader's residence, Congress chief spokesman S Jaipal Reddy joined them.

Asked what was on the agenda just before he went in for the parleys, Reddy told reporters "I come to meet Surjeet routinely".

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar had held separate meetings with Surjeet on Tuesday.

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda also drove to the CPM leader's residence this morning to discuss the evolving political situation.

Surjeet and former West Bengal Chief Minsiter Jyoti Basu have made it clear that they favoured a Congress-led government at the Centre while the Samajwadi party has maintained that it would work for the formation of a non-NDA government.