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New Delhi: Attempts to put up a Third Front ahead of the next general election received a jolt on Thursday with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) deciding to join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The AGP was one of the founding partners of the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) being touted as the emerging Third Front. It is the third party after the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Samajwadi Party to walk out of the alliance of regional parties since its formation. AGP was part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) until the 2004 general elections.
Senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu announced the tie-up with AGP in the eastern province of Assam which sends 14 lawmakers to the lower house (Lok Sabha).
Both BJP and AGP have two members each in the current Lok Sabha while the Congress Party, which rules at both centre and the state, has nine MPs. Announcing the tie-up with AGP, Naidu said that there was a common view that the non-Congress votes should not be split and welcomed AGP's proposal to face the polls together.
BJP has constituted a two-member committee consisting of its leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, Jaswant Singh, and his deputy Sushma Swaraj to work out all details of the alliance.
Open for others
The BJP panel would interact with a six-member committee the AGP has constituted for the purpose. Both parties are open to include any other likeminded party to expand the scope of the alliance further.
Two other constituents of the UNPA were also partners of the NDA which ruled the country from 1998-2004. While there is little likelihood of the Telugu Desam Party of Andhra Pradesh to return to the NDA fold, chances of the Indian National Lok Dal of Haryana of joining NDA are high.
The only problem is that the BJP is also in touch with another regional outfit, Janhit Congress.
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