New Delhi: A meeting of the Left parties and other Third Front partners in New Delhi on Sunday decided not to project any leader as their prime ministerial candidate before the Lok Sabha elections.
The decision came minutes before Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati hosted a dinner for the leaders of the new formation at her new residence in the national capital.
"We will not project any prime ministerial candidate before the polls. The decision regarding this (the prime minister) will be taken later," Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) spokesperson Danish Ali told IANS before leaving for Mayawati's home.
Asked if the Third Front meet was to decide on naming Mayawati as the grouping's prime ministerial candidate, Ali said, "Not at all."
JD-S chief HD Deve Gowda, who initiated the formation of the front, also attended the meeting.
For the first time, a representative of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Jay Panda, MP, also attended the crucial meeting of the "parties that will fight elections together" in the upcoming polls, Ali added.
Besides the leaders of the four Left parties, the BJD and the JD-S, leaders of the AIADMK, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) attended the meeting at the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) headquarters in New Delhi.
"It was a meeting of the parties which will fight the elections together," Ali said.
Forward Bloc leader G Devarajan said the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, led by former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi, would also join the new formation.
He said the new formation would continue its effort to attract more secular parties in its fold.
"More parties from the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) and the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) will join the new formation," Devarajan claimed.
CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, who met Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader and NDA convenor Sharad Yadav on Sunday, reported at the meeting that efforts were on to strengthen the non-Congress, non-BJP alliance.
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