Third Front to be launched today in Karnataka

Bangalore, Mar 12 (ANI): The Third Front will be launched formally in Tumkur, 50 kilometers from Bangalore, today.

On March 2, former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) chief Deve Gowda had announced the formation of a Third Front, an alliance of eight parties, including the Left.

The parties, supporting Deve Gowda are: Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), Forward Bloc, Republican Party of India (RPI), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Janata Dal Secular (JDS).

The agenda of the new outfit will be unveiled at today's rally.

Earlier, Gowda declared that the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has agreed to join the Third Front.

The BJD recently ended its 11-year-old alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Orissa.

Appreciating the response for the new political formation, the Third Front, Gowda said that it was "destined" to get good support from people and emerge as a "force to reckon with" after the Lok Sabha elections.

"Wait for political developments till April 16 (the day first phase of Lok Sabha polls would be held) as the country will witness a plethora of developments. Several leaders of the BJP have been leaving the party," he said. (ANI)