Third Front will take shape after Assembly polls: Gowda

New Delhi, Nov 7 (UNI) Terming the Third Front of the non-BJP and non-Congress parties a ''reality'', Janata Dal (Secular) president and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda today expressed hope that it will take a shape after the current round of Assembly polls.

In an informal chat with newspersons, Mr Gowda said that the Third Front parties would have ''substantial numbers'' in the next Lok Sabha, although he was not willing to speculate on the numbers.

He had no clear answers regarding the cohesiveness of the Third Front parties under the banner of the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) in the post-poll scenario.

However, he said there was no objection among the parties to project BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati as the next Prime Ministerial candidate of the Front.

Answering questions on Karnataka, Mr Gowda said that the ruling BJP was going ''too fast'' in brandishing its money power, even in the local body elections.

''People will show it its place in the byelections,'' he said.

The former Prime Minister was highly appreciative of the stand taken by the Janata Dal (United) party MPs in submitting their resignation to protest against the inaction of the Central and State Governments in the wake of the spate of attacks against the North Indians in Maharashtra.

''They have at least kept their promise, it is commendable,'' he remarked.

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