Third Front to decide on Prez nominee on Jun 18

Chennai, June 17: As the battle lines for the Presidential poll have been drawn, the third front, comprising eight regional parties, has convened a crucial conclave here tomorrow to decide on its choice and formulate its stand.

The meeting to be held at the Poes Garden residence of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, will deliberate on three options left before it even as it has become clear that a contest for the President post has become inevitable.

With NDA making it clear that it would not support the nomination of UPA's candidate Ms Pratibha Patil, the third front would decide whether to back a candidate already in the fray or put up its own candidate and make it a three-corner contest.

Ms Jayalalithaa, who had been authorised by the party executive yesterday, to decide on party's support to the Presidential candidate, had ruled out support to Ms Patil and made it clear that other parties in the third front too would toe in line with her.

After ruling out support to the Congress nominee, saying ''it does not matter whether the candidate is a man or woman'', Ms Jayalalithaa had said tomorrow's conclave would discuss three options left before it.

''We have three options, whether to support a candidate who is already in the fray (NDA's nominee and Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat), put up our own candidate or abstain from voting,'' she had said, after party's executive committee meeting last evening.

The third front which has a vote share of 1.20 lakh, would throw its weight behind Mr Shekhawat, only if he enters the fray as an independent candidate as there was no question of Samajwadi Party supporting Mr Shekhawat if the BJP fields him as the BJP led NDA's candidate, as being discussed in political circle.

A decision to abstain from voting by the front, which comprise of eight regional parties, which include Samajwadi Party (SP), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), AIADMK, National Lok Dal (NLD), Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), MDMK and Kerala Congress, would no doubt, benefit the UPA nominee. As Ms Jayalalithaa indicated that the front would press if there was a possibility of defeating the UPA nominee, there was every possibility of it supporting Mr Shekhawat, if he entered the fray as an independent candidate.

The front would have a new name as the AIADMK leader said that she did not like the front to be called ''third front''. In all probability, it would be christened as New National Front (NNA), sources said.

The conclave is also likely to decide as who would head the front as Ms Jayalalithaa had said that this issue would also be deliberated.

The formation of the front was formally announced when the leaders of eight regional parties met in Hyderabad on June six, when they pledged to build a viable alternative to the Congress and the BJP.

Those expected to attend the conclave are-Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh (SP), N Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), Om Prakash Chautala (INDL), Babulal Marandi (JVM), Brindaban Goswami (AGP), Vaiko (MDMK) and K J Thomas of the Kerala Congress.

More parties joining the front has been ruled out for the time being as Ms Jayalalithaa had said that the time gap between the first meeting at Hyderabad on June six and now was short and there was no sufficient time to firm up.

UNI