Naidu meets Mayawati

New Delhi, Aug 23 (UNI) In his continuing efforts to save the Third Front, Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu tonight held a meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP supremo Mayawati.

The meeting was continued for over two hours.

Ms Mayawati's recent announcements that her party would contest all the 80-Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh had come as a great setback to efforts to put in place a viable Third Front which could take on the Congress and the BJP in the coming elections. Mr Naidu and other leaders of the UNPA had tried to prop up Ms Mayawati as the leader of the alliance after its founder member Samajwadi Party had deserted it to side with the Congress on the nuclear deal.

However, the BSP chief's refusal to concede any UP seat to other members of the evolving Third Front, of which the Left Parties were an important part, had dissapointed all the leaders in the grouping.

Mr Naidu, earlier in the day, had met CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat to discuss the strategy to strengthen the Third Front. His meeting with Mayawati also had the same objective.

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