By IANS,
Mumbai : A new political combine was formed in Maharashtra Saturday and will contest the ensuing state assembly elections under the Third Front banner.
The Third Front includes around 15 factions of the Republican Party of India that merged to form the RPI-United last week, the Janata Dal, the Peasants and Workers Party, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the Communist Party of India, the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, the Swabhimani Paksha, the Lokbharti Party and other Dalit and secular groups.
The RPI-United Aug 18 decided to contest the assembly elections while maintaining equidistance from the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party combine and the saffron grouping of the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“We shall contest all the 288 assembly seats in the elections and are planning to rope in more likeminded political parties to enhance our strength,” Peasants and Workers Party chief Jayant Patil told reporters after a meeting of the different parties.
He added that the Third Front was engaged in talks with the Samajwadi Party, which has expressed interest in joining the grouping.
However, it is not known whether Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, which contested all the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in the April-May general elections, would join the Thrid Front or not.