Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat said the Third Front was poised to make a "serious bid" to form the government as he held talks with Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
“We will work to form a non-BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), non-Congress government,” Karat told reporters, with Patnaik of Biju Janta Dal (BJD) standing next to him.
The Marxist leader said he believed the elections would throw up a hung parliament. “By the definition of hung parliament - no party or combination will get absolute majority,” he said.
“The Third Front is poised to make a serious bid to form government. I hope the secular, non-Congress parties will come together with us,” he said.
The BJD was part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance for more than a decade but it broke ties with that coalition ahead of the general elections. It has an Orissa-specific alliance with the Left and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).