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Third alternative will not fight BSP: Gowda

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Janata Dal (Secular) president and former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, on Friday said the third alternative, comprising the Left, JD(S), TDP and other friendly parties, would not field candidates against the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh, where its chief and Chief Minister Mayawati had announced that her party would field nominees in all the seats in the Lok Sabha election.

“We don’t want to put pressure on her. Why should we spoil the BSP’s success? We don’t want to create unnecessary problems. We are not contesting in U.P.,” Mr. Gowda told a select group of journalists here.

The third alternative would not raise any unnecessary claim for seats in States where it had no presence, he said.

Mr. Gowda was cent per cent confident that Ms. Mayawati would not go with the NDA post-poll as she was equally vociferous in opposing the “misrule” and economic policies of the BJP and the Congress governments. The third alternative leaders would participate in the BSP’s election rallies if invited.He said seat sharing arrangement in the third alternative would be made depending on the base support of the parties in the respective States.

In Karnataka too, though he had announced that the JD(S) would contest all the 28 Lok Sabha seats, there was always a chance to accommodate the Left parties after holding talks with the State leaders of those parties.

Mr. Gowda, who had discussions with CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat on Thursday night, said the third alternative was shaping up well and some more parties were likely to join it in the days to come. “Talks with some parties are still on in various States.”

He said the AIADMK was very much in the front and there was not much to be read in AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa’s “advice” to the Congress to dump the DMK and join hands with her party. “There need not be any confusion or doubt about it.”

To a question, he said he was yet to decide on contesting the Lok Sabha poll and if at all he wanted to do so he might select the Hassan constituency. In Karnataka, some of the sitting JD(S) MLAs too would be given party ticket as he wanted to put up strong candidates.

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